Persona 3: Another Story
by ShadowMellow
Summary: After ten years absent, Hamuko And Minato finally return home. Hamuko had long ago begun acting cold toward her brother, who rarely spoke after their parents death. But after meeting their dormmates, everything changed. P3 Retelling slowbuilding AkiMina
1. Chapter 1: Back home

Hey, hey! Here I am again! This is going to be a new interpretation of the game classic "Persona 3"! Big thanks to theDatenshi (Minato Kuzunoha) and Dragon's Shadow (Dual Journey) for the inspiration! I hope you enjoy my version of the game! Ah, And it might contain some Shounen-Ai in Later chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 3 or any of the characters!

The wheels rattled under them as the train sped on the rails. The sun had long set and the lit train compartment was one of the few things illuminating the dark night.

"The next stop is Iwatodai station. This train ends there. Please don't leave any luggage behind. I repeat..." a raspy, mechanic voice announced. The red-haired girl took off her headsets, grabbed her back bag, stood up and looked at her travel companion who was softly snoring in his seat.

After she watched him sleep for a few minutes, she gave him a hard kick in the shin, making the boy yelp in surprise. "Get your stuff, idiot, or I'll leave you behind!" she spat before stomping to the exit. The bluenette was still dazed for a moment but after some time he obeyed the olders order. The train squeaked to a halt and the siblings entered the platform. The younger took a quick glace at his wrist watch.

"Almost midnight." Minato muttered as he followed Hamuko out of the station. Suddenly the world seemed to twist, water turned to blood and the moon took a sickly greenish color. A shiver ran down the boy's spine. "Ugh. Even after ten years it still feels weird." His sister was standing beside one of the coffin like things with a nostalgic expression but quickly regained her composure and got her map of Iwatodai out.

"You can stay out here if you want, but I'm going to the dorm." And with that she walked onto the streets, seemingly unaffected by the eerie light and the puddles of blood. The silent boy looked at all the coffins standing around but took off shortly after. They kept on walking and after a few minutes they stood in front of a four story house. The red haired girl looked at the map again, then at the building. "Looks like this is it.", she said and opened the enormous doors. Just as they stepped in, Minato felt a sudden pull and he stumbled to the ground.

With a loud thud, he landed face first on the floor. After he picked himself up, Minato gave his surroundings a quick observation. To his right, there was a big room what seemed to be the common area. Two sofas were lined up around a big wooden table together with two armchairs. To his left there was a counter. Behind that were a few cupboards and a table with a computer on it. Up ahead he could see a flight of stairs leading up to the upper floors and what seemed to be like a dinning room. "I wonder what happened just now." The bluenette turned to his just to notice that she wasn't there. "That explains the silence." he murmured as he was about to open the front door again to search his sister.

"You're late." He quickly turned around and spotted a little kid with a jail-outfit on. "I have been waiting for you." The child said with a mysterious smile on his face. He pointed toward the counter where magically an open black folder appeared. "Now if you want to proceed, sign your name on the contract there." Minato cautiously stepped back.

"What kind of contract? Does Aneki have to sign it, too? And where is she?", he asked, glaring daggers at the suspicious boy in front of him, who just countered with a soft chuckle.

"Don't worry. Your sister is safe and will make a contract of here own soon enough." The boy smiled a little more. "The contract just says that you will take full responsibility for actions. You know, the usual stuff." The bluenette slowly stepped closer to the piece of paper and wrote his name at the bottom. The little boy took hold of the whole folder, looking quite pleased. "Good. Although everyone's different, none of them can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes." He stepped back from the teen and slowly vanished into the shadows. "And so it begins..." with that he was gone and out of no where, Minato felt a pull yet again and fell to the ground.

"Hey, idiot, how much longer are you going to stay on the floor?" he heard a voice call out and opened his eyes. The bluenette was immediately greeted with a stomp on his chest by an angry Hamuko. "Jeez, you went over the threshold and collapse! What the heck is wrong with you?" After she finally stopped, her twin casually stood up and dusted himself off. He looked around and noticed that the small boy was gone, but just shrugged it off.

"Maybe you should stop shouting around. Some people might be asleep." He whispered in a small voice but he was just ignored. His sister just took off her shoes and entered the big room.

"Who's there?" She stopped with her feet in mid-air, and almost fell herself. A brown haired girl ran down the stairs and around the corner. She wore a pink jacket over her uniform and, to the twins horror, a gun holder an her right leg. She seemed quite nervous and panted heavily. She unclipped her holder and grabbed after her gun.

"Wait!" Just in that moment, the lights flickered back to life and the music-players, which had been on the whole time, began to play music like nothing happened. A girl with long red hair stepped into their view and gave a kind smile to them. A tall, tough-looking boy with silver hair stood by her side. "I didn't think you would arrive so late. I'm Mitsuru Kirijou. I'm one of the students who live at this dorm." Mitsuru pointed at the boy beside her. "This is Akihiko Sanada. We are both seniors." They were greeted with a simple nod. " And in front of you stands Yukari Takeba, she's a junior this year, just like you guys." The girl now named Yukari stepped closer to her Senpai's with an uncertain look on her face.

"Who are they?" she whispered.

"Transfer Students. It was a last minute decision to assign them here. They will be eventually moved to regular dorms." The brown-eyed girl turned back to them and gave them a distrustful look.

"Nice to meet you..." She said, eying them all the while. Hamuko immediately understood the situation, clasped her hand and gave her a bright smile.

"Nice to meet you, too! I'm Hamuko Arisato!" she almost shouted with a cheery sing-sang voice. The pink-clad girl was obviously surprised by her outgoing character and backed away a bit. Even their upperclassmen seemed surprised. Her twin stepped forward a bit and made a small bow.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Minato Arisato, her younger twin." He introduced with a quiet and collected voice, much unlike his sister. Mitsuru gave them both an approving nod.

"Good. To avoid any confusions, I will call you Arisato and you Arisato-Outoto. Welcome to our dorm." She gave the clock which was hanging on the wall a quick glace. "It's getting late. Takeba, could you please lead Arisato to her room?" Yukari quickly nodded and dragged the red-haired girl up the stairs. After they were out of sight, she turned to the silverette. "Akihiko, could you lead Arisato-Outoto to his? You know where it is." And then she followed the two other girls up the stairs. The senior awkwardly scratched his hair, then turned to Minato.

"Well, follow me then." he said and lead the way, the bluenette silently following him. The, too, went up the stairs and followed a long hallway until the end. Turning to the right, the upperclassman gave a small smile. "This is it. It shouldn't be so hard to remember since it's at the end of the hall. Do you have any questions?" The other just stayed silent, seemingly deep in thoughts. Just as Akihiko decided that he was asleep standing, he heard a soft voice.

"Actually," The blue-eyed boy began quietly. "I have some. Two, to be precise." He raised his head and looked his Senpai right in the eye. "What was that contract about? And who was that kid in the jail-outfit?" His only response was a confused look that was soon followed by a sigh.

"Contract? Kid in a jail-outfit? What are you talking about?" As Minato just gave him a suspicious look, he placed one of his hands on the younger shoulder. "Look, you had a long day. Maybe you just daydreamed the whole thing." the underclassman gave a disappointed look, but then finally gave up.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'm sorry to have bothered you, Sanada-Senpai." He says with a sad undertone in his voice. Akihiko just gave a sincere smile and patted the boys fluffy mass of hair.

"It's alright, you're just tired. Get some sleep and you will feel like revived. Have a good night." He waved him goodbye and returned to his own room. Minato looked at the door of the room that was going to be his new home from now on and sighed.

"But I'm sure it happened. And I've got a feeling that the coming year is going to be a real hassle."

Puh! Finally done! I had some friends of mine correct-read it, but after about half of it I just kept on writing. I apologize for all the typos. What do you think about the first chapter? Is it any good? I hope you keep on reading!

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	2. Chapter 2: Back to School

New day, new chapter! Or at least I try. Just finished a German-Exam. **Utter. Hell. **I wrote the whole day on this, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the clothes I have!

Knock. Knock. "Arisato-kun? Are you ready yet? We have to go now or we'll be late." Groaning, the boy stirred in his sleep at the voice. It sounded oddly familiar and somewhat mushy but quickly dismissed the voice and continued to sleep. "What do we do, Hamuko-chan? He won't answer!" the voice called out again, sounding a little desperate. Shortly after, he heard a door being thrown open and the bluenette was violently thrown out of his bed.

"Uah!" Minato cried but wasn't able to say much more because his face was soon pressed down into the floor by a foot on his head.

"Get ready, stupid! Today is you're first day and if you're late then **I **will be put at fault! So get your skinny ass up!" Hamuko yelled at him before getting down her brother and and out of the room, past a shocked Yukari. Silence reigned as Minato got up from the floor and went to the drawer for his fresh school uniform. The brown-haired girl blushed furiously and quickly ran out of the room, too.

"W-We'll be waiting down in the first floor! Please hurry!" She stuttered before slowly dimming footsteps remained. With a sigh, the blue-eyed boy took off his pyjamas and dressed himself. He rushed to brush his teeth and grabbed his bag that was already packed and ran down the stairs to join the girls. He greeted them with a nod and they exited the dorm. They walk to station was filled with animated chatting and giggles of the two girls, the younger twin staying unnoticed for the time being. The girls kept on talking even as they entered the monorail to Port Island. After a few minutes, Yukari happily pointed out of the window to one of the giant buildings of the city. "There! You that building there? That's Gekkoukan High School!" she explained with a cheery voice. Minato looked out examinating his new school. In the reflection of the glass, he could see the two others having their small talk and for a moment, he could his sister staring at him. Her expression was odd... what was that...? ...Worry?

"The next stop is ours, so let's get ready!" The pink-clad girl announced loudly, breaking the boys train of thoughts. They got out of the train and joined the giant flow of students. The chatter of the other grew louder and louder by the seconds and the blue-haired Arisato took out his headphones and listened to some music, tuning the rest of the world out. He didn't even notice they arrived until Yukari ran ahead and turned to look at them. "Well, this is it! Welcome to Gekkou high, you two!" she said and leaded them into the main lobby of the school. "You will be fine from here, right? You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The faculty office is right to the left. Do you guys have any questions?" Silence was the only answer the boy could give but he was swiftly received a punch on his shoulder for his rudeness.

"What class are you in, Yukari-chan?" Hamuko asked with a bright smile on her face while Minato rubbed his arm.

"Um, I dunno. I haven't looked at the classroom assignments yet." the other girl responded after she shook her shock off. After some thought, she whispered in a low voice so only they could hear "Hey... don't tell anyone what you saw last night, alright?" As if nothing happened, she straightened up again. " ..See ya later." And with that she ran off. The twins stood there for a second before the brother spoke up again.

"What do think she meant with that?" he asked in his usual quiet voice. But he was ignored yet again as his sister just stalked past him to the bulletin board. He had to almost fight his way through the mass of students but after some shoving and kicking, he finally reached his twin. She was looking at a group of papers on the bulletin board.

"I'm in class 2-F." She announced to no one in particular. The bluenette looked at the board, too, now, searching for his name. At first he didn't find it but at his second attempt he found it right under his sister's. `2-F, huh..?´ He turned back to his sister who he noticed was storing at him.

"You didn't go yet?" he asked unbelieving. It took a moment for his sister to register what he said, but then he just harrumphed and went into the direction of the Faculty Office. Minato followed in his own pace and together they reached it and opened the door. Right after they entered, a women with brown hair and a pink suit approached them. The boy noted that she had some resemblance to Yukari.

"Are you the transfer students?" She asked but before they could answer, she was already flipping through some pages of a file. "Hamuko and Minato Arisato, twins, right? Wow, you lived in a lot of different places. Let's see... in 1999... That was what, ten years ago? … your Parents..." She gasped and flipped the file closed again. "I'm sorry. I was so busy, I wasn't able to read it beforehand." She quickly regained her composure and said "I'm Ms. Toriumi, I teach Composition. Welcome to our school, you two."

"Nice to meet you!" Hamuko cheered with a bright smile on her face, while Minato simply said "I'm pleased to meet you." The teacher gave them both a soft smile.

"My, you two are so different, it's unbelievable that you are twins." She stated with a kind tone I her voice. "Have you read the classroom assignments yet? You are in 2-F; that's my class. But first we need to go the auditorium. The welcome ceremony should be starting soon." They quickly moved to said room and took their seats. After the first thirty seconds of the speech, the bluenette already tuned out and was about to listen to his Music player as a student behind him spoke up.

"Hey, yeah, you!" He turned around and saw a boy with black hair and eyes looking at him expectant. "I saw you this morning coming to school with two other girls. One of them was Yukari Takeba, right? How well do you know her? And who was that other girl?" He asked in one breath, which made the questioned wonder how he didn't suffocate.

"Um, yes it was Takeba-san but I just met her yesterday, so I don't know her that much. As for the other girl..." He glaced at the red-haired girl in the front rows chatting with some of her female classmates. "...she's my older twin." he finally finished. The boy was about to ask some more (probably without breathing again) but a deep voice of a man interrupted their conversation.

"I hear talking. I think it's someone of Ms. Toriumi's class."

"Quiet!" Referred teacher hissed at them. "You will get me in trouble!" And with that the conversation died and they had to listen to the principals speech.

School had just ended and Minato looked at the remaining students in his classroom. He sat in the middle of the second row from the front, his sister diagonally to his left. He packed his back and walked over to her just as a boy with short dark hair and a baseball cap approached them.

"'Sup, dude!" he practically shouted at them with a gigantic grin on his face. "How is it goin'?" he asked in a more appropriated volume. Hamuko gave him a suspicious look for a while. Her brother looked between the two others nervously and almost expected his sister to magically draw a baseball bat out of her bag and attack the other boy but instead she just asked:

"Who are you?" the bluenette let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, which was going unnoticed by the others.

"Me? I'm Junpei Iori! I transferred here when I was in 8th grade, so I know how it is to be the new kid. So I wanted to say "hey!", see what a nice guy I am! But well, at least you're two, right?" He looked over to the other twin who hadn't said anything yet. "You're Minato Arisato, right?"

"You remembered my name?" he asked a little surprised.

"Well, it's hard not to when you're introduced yourself in front of the whole class." Junpei responded, stepping closer to the boy who backed away a little.

"Um, normally people only remember Aneki's name afterwards..." The blue-eyed boy shrunk back a little as his sister gave them a hard glare. If it was meant for him or for the other, he seriously didn't know.

"Of course I know the name of this little cutie, too! Hamuko, right? Nice to meet cha!" before she could counter, another voice entered the conversation.

"At it again, huh? Is there any girl you're not hitting on? Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?" Yukari asked annoyed.

"Whoa, it's Yuka-tan!" It took some seconds for him to actually register what she said. "W-wha? I was just being friendly! I wasn't hitting on anyone!" But the girl just ignored him and stepped closer to the twins.

"What a coincidence that we are in the same homeroom! I was quite surprised!" she stated in a loud voice and a smile an her voice. The red-haired girl smiled and was just about to retort but her brother beat her to it.

"There's no such thing as coincidences. Everything happens with a meaning." he whispered in a low voice but everyone seemed to catch it, since they all had slightly disturbed expression on their faces. The pink-clad girl shifted uncomfortably before trying to speak normally again.

"Uh, anyway, how was your first day? Made any new friends yet?" she asked in a shaky voice, looking helplessly at the older twin who gave a hesitant shake of her head.

"Not yet, but it's only the first day. I'm sure we'll make some soon."

"By the way, I heard you guys came to school together this morning. Two hot chicks and a pretty boy. The whole school's speaking about it." Junpei said with a playful smirk on his face, from which Minato immediately knew he was only kidding, but his other classmate didn't seem to know that.

"W-What are you talking about? We live at the same dorm! There's nothing wrong with coming to school together! Anyway, don't spread rumors like that! I'm used to it, but they just got here! Don't you feel bad for pulling them into something like that right after they arrived?" she shouted in anger, the boy didn't understand. It's not like there weren't any rumors at their old school. "Anyway, I've got some things to take of for the archery club. Don't try anything funny, Junpei." And then she ran off to wherever she had to. The dark-haired boy scratched the back of his head, sighing.

"What's up with her? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway." he turned back to the twins and gave Hamuko a nervous look. "Just to keep things straight, I didn't come up to you to hit on you or something. If you ever need help with anything, you can tell ol' pal Junpei to clear it up!" he looked over to the other Arisato and grinned. "That applys to you, too." Addressed person began to blush a little, this being the first time someone saying something like that to him. He wanted to thank him as his sister cut in.

"Thanks for the concern, but I think we will be fine by ourselves. If you would excuse us, we have a monorail to catch." She said, grabbed the wrist of her brother and was about to run out of the room but their classmate stopped her in the last second.

"Relax, the Monorail drives every half hour, you won't be late in the dorm if we check out the town first. You don't know your way around, right? I could help out with that!"

"That's not a good idea. We have to get going now." She pulled at the arm of her twin but he didn't budge. She turned back to glare at him but as she saw his smiling face, she froze on the spot.

"You can go ahead, Aneki. I'm going with Junpei. I promise I won't be late." He said and slipped his hand out of the loosening grip of his sister. He grabbed the other boy instead and stalked past her, to the shoe lockers. When they arrived, he let go and gave him a shy smile. "Sorry about that. Normally she's only to me like that." But the boy with the base-ball cap only waved his hand dismissively.

"Nah, no problem. I just think it's odd that way around."

"Huh, what do you mean?" he asked seriously surprised as they walked out of the school building.

"Well, normally it's the brother who gets all worked up. It#s just odd that it's the sister."

"Ah, I see." he muttered under his breath. After he thought about it for a moment, he looked up again with a bright smile shining on his face. "Anyway, let's go, or else I'm going to be late in the dorm after all."

Minato opened the door the dorm to be greeted with a reading Mitsuru on the sofa and no sight of his sister. The Senpai looked up at him and gave him a nod.

"Welcome back. If you're searching for Arisato, she's up at her room. She seemed quite troubled." The boy gave a approving nod before a yawn made it's way out of his mouth, which earned him a small chuckle from his upperclassman. " You seem tired. You should go get some sleep. You can still talk to her in the morning." With another nod, he went up the stairs and into his room. After changing his clothes, he slumped down on his bed. In a matter of seconds he was asleep.

Down in the lobby, Akihiko grabbed his jacket and threw it over his shoulder. "I'm going out for a bit." He said with a smile.

"..Hm?"

"Didn't you read the paper? There's a lot going on."

"..I know. Totally healthy people suddenly became victims of Apathy Syndrome. It was on the news quite often lately. They say it's due to stress, but..."

"Yeah, it's **them**. Anything else isn't worth my time!" Mitsuru looked at him accusingly.

"You have a one-track mind. Will you be okay on your own? The chairman will be here for the next days but after that, I can..."

"Don't worry, I'm just getting a little practice."

"This is not a game Akihiko." She sighed but let him go anyway.

Uff, pretty long chapter, huh? I'm proud of how much I finished today! I made a new cover for my homework book and did a complete new chapter. Like you might have noticed, I took pretty much out of the games itself, I hope it doesn't bother you guys.

Anyway, reviews are appreciated!

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	3. Chapter 3: Dark Hour and Velvet Room

Well, look at that! It's shorter than the last one, but I hope you don't have a problem with that. I hope you don't mind all the references on the game, but I wrote it so even people who didn't play the game can understand it. Please enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Own nothing here!

The next day, Minato was prepared. He had already dressed, packed his bag and brushed his teeth as he stepped down the stairs to meet the others at the coffee table. Yukari and Hamuko were already there, eating their breakfast peacefully but they looked up when they heard him coming. The brown-haired girl smiled and gave him a wave.

"Good Morning, Arisato-kun! How did you sleep?" She handed him a plate with toast, which he accepted with nod and sat down opposite of her.

"Good morning, Takeba-san. I slept great." He turned to his sister, who was sleepily munching on her own slice of bread and gave her a soft smile. "Good Morning, Aneki." but he only received a grunt in return which he paid no mind to. They ate in silence for a while until the archer spoke up yet again.

"So, I heard you went home with Junpei yesterday. First day and already got a new friend. Did you guys have fun?" She asked, trying to cheer up the mood. The bluenette looked up his plate again and gave her another smile, which, strangely as it seems, made her blush.

"He showed me the town a bit. Everything changed so much since I have been here the last time. We went to Paulownian Mall and played some games at Game Panic. I'm surprised at how many games they have there. Ten years away and you feel like you're a total foreigner who just found some new land." he babbled, all the while smiling like a kid that just got some sweets. Before he could start again, he caught himself and shrunk back in his seat. "I'm sorry. That was very out of character of me. It's just that I'm very happy, since he's the first friend I have had in years." As he finished that sentence, his twin grabbed her bag and stormed out of the dorm, leaving the other two in her dust. Yukari coughed on nothing in particular, and stood up, too.

"I need to go now. You know, archery club and stuff." she said and exited the building. Minato followed soon after, taking his time to get to school. It wasn't until another twenty minutes until the lessons started and he was already entering the monorail. No need to hurry, he thought. Only listening to one of his headphones, he heard some of his classmates' chatting.

"Hey, have you heard about that rumor yet?"

"You mean the one with the bathroom?"

"N-No! Not that one! I mean the one of this first-year student! Not only does she not come to school anymore, all she does is sit and stare at the wall, And when her mom tries to talk to her, all she says is: 'It's coming... It's coming...!'"

"Huh, how about that?"

"You don't believe me...?"

He readjusted the lash of his shoulder bag and looked at the floor. That description... it fits what he saw in his dreams... almost too much to be just a coincidence.

"Hey, dude!" The bluenette looked up from packing his bag into the grinning face of Junpei. "Thanks for helping me out back there. I wouldn't have heard the end of it if I got it wrong." He glaced at Hamuko, who was keeping an eye at him, although she tried her best to act normal. "You wanna hang out at Wild Duck Burger? I'm going with a friend anyway, so if want you can join." Minato took also a look at his sister and considered his situation.

"It's alright, I wouldn't want to intrude. I wanted to go home and learn for a bit anyway." he raised from his seat and walked over to his sister, who was already ready to go. She gave him a nod and he nodded back. Before they stepped of the room, he quickly turned around and waved the cap-wearing boy good-bye. The twins were pretty silent on their way home but Minato was content with that silence. It was way better then being shouted at from his sister. It was like she doesn't actually hate him. All of a sudden, the red-haired girl grabbed his hand and dragged him to one of the shops at Iwatodai station. "Um, Aneki, what are you doing?"

"Two packages of Takoyaki, please!" She almost shouted at the cook who swiftly followed her order. As they sat there, eating their small octopus balls, the younger stole a glace at the older, only to notice that she hadn't eaten any of hers and was yet again staring at him. He looked her in the eyes and cocked his head to the side.

"Won't you eat?" he asked, snapping her back to reality. She flailed with her arms a bit, almost falling down the bench together with her Takoyaki. But the brother catched her and the package just in time before the touched the ground. He sat her back on and handed her the balls. "Here you go." She accepted it and began to eat herself, never taking her eyes off the other. When they finished, Minato turned to Hamuko and smiled, making latter quite startled.

"W-What are you smiling about?"

"Oh, it's nothing." He said but began to blush and gave her a little grin. "I'm just happy that we spend some time together. You know, just you and me. I really missed that." The girl immediately shot up and grabbed her bag, already going to the direction of the dorm.

"D-Don't be stupid! I just felt a little hungry and you were there! I didn't do it to spend time with you!" As Minato caught up again, they were already in front of the enormous doors again.

"Even if you did it for yourself..." He looked at her and gave one of his most heart-warming smiles. "Thanks, anyway. I had much fun today." His sister quickly turned away, stomping up the stoirs to the dorm.

"Just shut up, you!" she yelled and entered the building, Minato following without understanding her outburst.

"Oh, there they are." he heard Yukari say.

"So this are our new guests..." He looked at the source of the voice and spotted a brown-clad man with long brown hair and glasses. He quickly approached the twins. "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the chairman of the Board for your school." He offered his hand which the bluenette hesitantly took, going back to his silent nature. After they shook hands, he moved over to his sister and shook hers, too. She didn't seem to know what to think of him either. But the man didn't notice any of it. "Ikutsuki.. Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I hate introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes. Please, have a seat." They quickly sat down on the couch before Ikutsuki continued. "I apologize for the confusion regarding you accomodations. However, it could take some time for you to get a proper room assignments. Is there anything you would like to ask?" the blue-eyed boy looked at his twin who gave it some thoughts. Then she raised her head again.

"No, I think we're fine." she said, trying to sound not too suspicious of the chairman. But no one seemed to notice except her brother.

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year. If you would excuse me." The man raised from his seat and walked toward the stairs but after a few steps, he stopped. "Oh, you must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early tonight. Like they say: 'The early bird catches the bookworm!' Please forgive the pun." and with that and a chuckle he left the lounge together with some strange cold air. Yukari smiled at them a little strained.

"You will get used to his lame jokes." After they bid her goodnight, the twins separated and went to bed.

Later at the fourth floor of the dormitory, Mitsuru looked at a bunch of monitors. As she watched the two Arisato's sleep, two other people entered the room.

"Working hard? How are they doing?" Ikutsuki asked with Yukari at his side. She uncomfortably at the sleeping teens through the screens.

"They went to bed a little while ago. They are asleep now." She looked at her feet and then back at the man. "Mr. Chairman, do you think they are..."

"Let's wait for now. The Dark Hour is approaching." Shortly after he said those words, the room darkened, all electronics except the monitors stopped working, the people on the streets turned to coffins and the moon took on a sick yellow color. They looked back the the screens which still showed the Arisato's. "Hm. They are still sleeping. The Dark Hour occurs every day at midnight. You could call it a hidden hour. During this time, an ordinary person transmogrifies into a coffin, oblivious to their surroundings."

"Then, they are..." Yukari started but the Chairman cut her in mid-sentence.

"As you can see, they remained in their human forms. They are sleeping, but definably experiencing the Dark Hour. Now we just have to find out if they have the potential. Although, they must, or else they would have already got them by now." The brown-haired man stood up and walked closer to the monitors. "In any case, we should continue to monitor them." Mitsuru gave a nod at him.

"Yes, sir."

"I dunno..." Yukari looked at Minato through the screens with a worried look on her face. "I feel bad for watching him like a guinea pig, but it feels like there's something up with Arisato-kun."

When Minato opened his eyes again, he was sitting in a blue stool in a blue room in what looked like a blue elevator. What a varied interior design. A silver clock hung on the wall and a bald man with a long nose and a silver-haired girl in blue were in front of him with only a small table separating them.

"Welcome to the Velvet room, my dear young man." The long-nosed guy said in a mysterious voice. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This is Elizabeth. She's a resident here, just like myself." The girl made a small curtsy to him.

"Pleased to meat you."

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It's been years since we had a guest." Igor began again, earning a little lost look from the bluenette. He made a quick wave with his hand and a black folder appeared on the table, opening itself. When the boy saw the contents, he froze in his seat.

"T-This is...!"

"That's right, it's the document you signed in the lounge of your dorm. Only those who signed the contract can enter this place... henceforth, you shall be welcomed into the Velvet Room. You will hone your unique ability and you will need my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return..." He made a dramatic pause. "..that you abide by the contract and assume full responsibility for your actions." Minato let that sink in for a moment, thinking about what to say.

"I understand." A smirk entered the bald man's face (or at least it looked like a smirk, considering he seems to smirk all the time) and he waved his hand yet again.

"Hold onto this..." A small light appeared above him and slowly sank into his hand. It dimmed until it was completely gone, revealing a small blue key with an butterfly design on it. "This is the Velvet key. Until we meet again..." His vision began to fade. The last ting he saw was a smile on Igor's face and the next thing he knew, he was in his bed, looking at the ceiling. He felt something clenched in his fist and immediately knew it was the key he just received. He felt a twinge in his stomach and clenched his hand on it.

"Something is stirring out there. Danger awaits us in the future. A great change will occur, and it will happen much faster than anyone will expect." he whispered to himself before falling back to sleep.

Because of my parents, I had to stop writing twice today! Why do they have to interrupt my inspiration every time if I have one? Anyway, I'm thinking about changing Minato's power from Wild card to something else.

Review's would help me writing!

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	4. Chapter 4: Swords In The Moonlight

Wow, two chapters a day! I'm improving!

Disclaimer: Yeah right, Persona 3 is mine and the Universe is a cookie.

Minato was walking in the crowd of students with his sister, fingering the Velvet key in his pocket. He had been thinking about the dream since he woke up this morning and still hadn't figured out what it meant. He already knew he was different than other people. He knew since that day ten years ago, but he never thought that that 'power' he had would someday be helpful. Until now, it was only a hindrance that made him look like a freak to others. If it weren't for that, he would...

"Morning, guys!" someone shouted and the bluenette quickly turned around to see Junpei waving wildly at him and Hamuko. "What's up? Man, today such a great day! The sky is blue, we're young, what more can you ask for?" He exclaimed even for him unusually cheerful.

"You seem to be in high spirits today, Junpei-kun." the red-haired girl said smiling surprisingly kind for someone who glared at him not two days ago.

"Yeah, well, listen to this..." The cap-wearing boy leaned closer to them but then snapped back like someone just electrified him. "Oh crap! I'm not supposed to tell anyone! Sorry guys." Together they walked the rest of the way to the school-gate filled with small talk, the feeling that something will happen today never leaving the younger twin.

Minato stretched his arms above his head as he leaned back in his chair. He had slept through classic Lit. class but still had to make the homework of the day. Luckily, all the stuff they learned in that class he already knew and had no problem of doing it without listening to Mr. Ekoda. He looked at the clock that stood on his nightstand. 10:30. He should go to bed now, although he had a feeling he won't get much sleep anyway.

"How are they doing?" Ikutsuki asked as he entered the room. Yukari and Mitsuru sat in front of the screens, observing the twins sleep.

"..The same as last night." The upperclassman answered.

"Very interesting. Even people who have the potential tend to be unstable at first. But those two don't show any of the common symptoms. They are rather unique." The junior looked at her folded hands on her lap.

"But we're treating them like guinea pigs..."

"I understand your concern, Yukari but you know how important it is for us to recruit new members. Aren't they your classmates? Wouldn't you be more comfortable about working with people of your own grade? Two at that, too." The chairman countered with a stern face which made the pink-clad girl sigh.

"I know, but still..." A loud peep was to be heard and the senior immediately responded.

"Commando room. Is that you, Akihiko?" She asked but at first the only response were panting noises until the boxer finally spoke.

"You're not gonna believe this...! This thing is huge..!" He said into his microphone, obviously breathing hard. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk... It's chasing me... I wanted to let you guys know. I'm almost there." and then the connection broke up. Yukari looker horrified at the others.

"'There'? Does that mean, he brings that thing here?"

"Mr. Chairman!" Mitsuru shouted. "Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!"

"Alright! Be careful!" They quickly ran down the stairs toward the lounge where the silverette was sitting slumped against the door.

"Akihiko!" The red-haired girl shouted as she saw the blood dropping from his site. The junior tried to touch him but only received a low groan of pain.

"Senpai?"

"I'm alright." he said with still grimacing but quickly swallowed his agony and put on his best fighter face. "Get ready to be surprised. It should be here any moment."

"This is no time to be joking!" the student council president shouted at her friend. Ikutsuki stepped forward nervously.

"It's one of them, Akihiko?"

"Yes, but not an ordinary one..." Suddenly, the whole earth shook and Yukari fell to the ground.

"What the..? You've got to be kidding me!"

"Mr. Chairman! Please head to the command room! Takeba, go and wake them up! You have to escape through the back!"

"Mitsuru, please leave that to me!" Akihiko protested but he was instantly silent when a fierce glare was thrown at his direction.

"You brought it here, you're gonna fight it. Takeba has no fighting experience yet and we will need any force we have to fight them, even if you're injured." Akihiko harrumphed but said nothing else.

"Alright, I'm going. But what about you two?"

"We will have to stop it here." The boxer explained, a little moodily. "Although I hadn't had a choice, I brought it here, I fight it. Just go, we're fine."

"A-Alright, I'm going!"

Minato awoke to the whole building shaking like a giant was on his way here. He quickly grabbed his clothes and got dressed. He threw a look out of the window, the only thing that he's seeing the big yellow moon. It was awfully big that night, it almost looked like the moon was mocking him with a gigantic grin on it's surface. He turned away from it, pulling his jacket on. Every time he looked at this time at the moon, he felt that pulling in his heart, like he should remember something he forgot. He was ripped out of his thoughts as someone knocked at his door.

"Wake up!" He heard Yukari shouting. "Sorry, we're coming in!" She opened the door and stormed into the room with a sword in her hand and Hamuko behind her. "I don't have time to explain! We have to get out of here!" Something shook the building again and the brown-haired girl grew more panicked. "Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the backdoor!" They were about to hurry out of the room when the pink-clad person seemed to remember something. "Wait! Take this sword! I already gave your sister a naginata, just in case." They ran down the stairs toward the back door when a loud peep emitted from a device on the girl belt.

"Takeba, do you read me?" Mitsuru's voice sounded out of it with a light crack at the end.

"Yes, I hear you!"

"Be careful. The enemy is not alone. The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!" Right on cue, something slammed against the door.

"Let's pull back!" she shouted and lead the way up the stairs. Every time they reached another floor, the earth shook and they forced to go up even higher until they were on the top floor. "Damn! That things coming up and we have nowhere else to run!" The red-haired junior looked around and up the last remaining flight of stairs.

"How about we go further up? This house has a rooftop, right?" she suggested and Yukari seemed to understand immediately.

"Of course! The rooftop! Why didn't occur to me sooner?" she said and ran up the steps, the twins hurried to follow. When they were at the top, they threw the door open and stormed in the open, bathed in a sick green light. "Alright, we should be safe now." Suddenly, the teens heard a loud thud behind him. Tension filled the air and sweat rolled down their faces. They slowly turned around and froze on the spot. A dark hand gripped at the railing of the roof. It pulled itself up, revealing even more arms. One of them held a bright blue mask and as if it could see with it, it turned around as if looking for something. When it spotted the juniors, it pulled even more arms up, each of them holding knives which shined in the bright moon light. The masses of arms threw itself on the roof and crawled to them. The pink-clad girl snapped her gun out of its holder and pointed it at her forehead. That thing crawled faster and faster as she tried to pull the trigger. It was about three meters away as a sudden pain came over Minato, making him clutching his head. After a moment, his eyes snapped back open and looked over at Yukari.

"Takeba-san, watch out!" he shouted, but it was too late. She was thrown through the air and her gun skittered to the ground, right in front of his feet. He looked down at it and then at the monster that was moving toward him and his sister. Time seemed to stand still as he stood there. The child with the contract came to his mind, whispering silent encouragements. He quickly grabbed it from the ground, slowly raised it at his head and closed his eyes. He hesitated for a moment as he thought of Kirijou-Senpai and Sanada-Senpai fighting downstairs and Takeba-san lying on the ground, injured because she wanted to protect them. He felt no fear, no remorse as he thought of pulling the trigger. A single word raced through his mind as he finally did it.

"**Persona."**

He heard glass chatter and a blue fragments gathered above him. A tall being with a humanoid head and mechanic body rose from them. A large lyre was strapped on his back and it's silver hair drifted in the wind. A loud voice emitted from it. _**"Thou art I. And I art Thou. From the sea of your heart I emerge. I am Orpheus. Master of Strings." **_The being gave a loud cry but then that pain took over again and the bluenette had to grip his head, crying out in agony. A pair of hands came out of the mouth of Orpheus, ripping him apart from inside out, revealing a monster in black with white mask and gloves up to his elbows. On each of its hands, a string was attached on which were many small coffins lined up and in the right he held a sword. That thing jumped at the other monster and ripped it apart bit for bit while Minato fell to his knees groaning. Arms flew around, black drippy blood pooling on the ground while the girls could do nothing than watch. One last arm struggled in the monsters hand but it was quickly squished to a pool of blood like the rest. It gave one satisfied cry before turning in the next moment back to Orpheus. The boy was still kneeling on the ground panting as he noticed noises coming closer. He looked up and saw two other monsters coming his way and he grabbed for the gun again. As he made Orpheus attack one of them, the other just sneaked up to him and and hit him hard. Already exhausted from the first fight, he limply fell to the ground.

After that, his world turned black.

He opened his eyes an looked around, recognizing the place immediately. "The Velvet Room..? What am I doing here...?"

"It's so nice to see you again." He looked ahead to see Igor with his gigantic nose sitting in his usual chair. "You lost consciousness after you awakened to your new "power". It seems it was Orpheus who heeded your calling. That power is called a Persona. It is a manifestation of your psyche." Minato cocked his head to the side.

"Persona...? Psyche...? I don't understand..."

"You will soon enough, my young boy. A Persona is a facet of your personality which surfaces as you react to external stimuli... You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. But right now, you're power is still weak." Now, he looked even more confused.

"I'm sorry, but you just lost me."

"Summoning your Persona is like challenging your inner strength. It gets stronger when you improve your social links, your emotional links with others. So the stronger your bonds with the people around you, the stronger your Persona ability." he looked around for a bit as if looking for the time. "Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come on your own, free will. Until then, farewell." He waved his hand again and Minato faded back to Oblivion. He tried to regain consciousness but he only managed to open his eyes for a short moment. But at that moment, he thought he saw a red-haired girl beside his bed crying.

I hope it's alright. It's not my first time trying to write a fighting scene but I'm not very good at it, so I'm sorry if it was boring. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

**You know what makes me mad? People who click anything but the review button!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	5. Chapter 5: Of Evoker's and Card's

So, this is my first chapter of the week! But for now it's the last, since I have school tomorrow and won't be able to update. But as soon as it's Friday, get ready for a bunch of chapters!

Disclaimer: As if a 14-year-old could own such a big RPG series.

The cleared from mind and he opened groggily his eyes. He was greeted with a white ceiling and bright lamps which hurt in his eyes. He looked to his sides and saw Yukari and Hamuko looking at him as if he just woke up from a coma... or maybe he did...?

"You're finally awake, Arisato-kun...!" the pink-clad girl gasped, covering her mouth with her her hands. She looked ready to jump him with happiness. But she calmed down fast and said "I'm glad you finally came to... But how much sleep do you need? It's been a whole week!" Minato's eyes widened in shock. A whole week...? "You made me really worried. Oh, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station." As if I care about that. "The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you. He said you were just exhausted. But you just kept on sleeping and sleeping... You know how worried I was?" She looked down at her hands and then back up to him. "I'm sorry I were no help when I was there to protect you... But your power... It was amazing!" He looked up at her, still a little dazed after his long sleep.

"Excuse me, but... What exactly did I do...?"

"That power you used- We call it 'Persona'. And those beings you fought, those were 'Shadows'- our enemy. But we will explain everything in detail later to you. We wanted to wait until you woke up, so we didn't have to tell you twice." She looked uneasily at her hands again. "And I wanted to tell you guys... I'm sorta like you." This time both of the twins looked at her confused. "My dad died in an accident and my mom and I aren't really on good terms. I already know your story, so I wanted to tell you mine. In '99, there was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody knows what really happened. He was working in a lab for the Kirijou Group, so I hope when I'm sticking around, I can find the truth. You are all alone, too, right." Her gaze shifted to his sister. " What am I saying. You still have Hamuko-chan." After some thought she added. "Oddly, though, she was only unconscious for about a day... I wonder why you were out for so long..." The other girl sudden stood up, not showing her face to her brother and left the room. Yukari was startled for a second but just continued with her story. "At least that's the reason why I were there..." She kept on talking but the bluenette already tuned her out. His sister... that wasn't the first time she did something like this... It's just like he woke up back then... We're they back to square one again? He worked so hard the last ten years to get her to talk with him normally again and now something like this... "I'll tell the others that you woke up." She finally finished and moved to the door.

"Takeba-san." She turned back at his quiet voice. "Did I cause trouble for Aneki...? My memory of that night is pretty foggy after this thing with the arms, so..." She looked at her feet as if considering to tell him something but decided against it and exited the room. Minato slumped back on the bed and watched to light flicker on the ceiling. "The night last week and the night ten years ago... I don't remember any of them clearly... I wonder why..."

The next day, he was back in the dorm again, walking down the stairs. He was released from the hospital shortly after Yukari's visit, and now he had to go to school again. At ht e coffee table sat said girl with his sister who left as soon as she saw him. He sighed and grabbed a toast from the table.

"Good morning. How do you feel today?" The other girl asked with a smile. He just gave her a shrug. "Anyway, sorry for telling you this first thing in the morning, but Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you. Just go to the fourth floor when you get back, alright?" she said, grabbed a toast for the way and left the building. They boy left shortly after, not caring if he was about to be late or not.

"Dude, what's wrong with this teacher? He and his samurais... as if there's nothing else on the world!" Junpei ranted. Mir: Ono asked him a question today and although he got it right, the teacher just kept on talking about the Sengoku-Era. "Where were you the last week anyway? Transferring here and then taking a week off. I gotta learn from you, man. Hey, you want to go out eating somewhere. Though I can't tell you what, there's something to celebrate. We can hold it for your come-back, too." he said with a wink but the other just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go back to the dorm." he said without giving an explanation, but the cap-wearing boy didn't need one and just shrugged.

"No need to apologize. I actually should go home, too. Well, see ya." And then he left. Minato packed his things and left, too. He looked back at the classroom and noticed that the others had already left. He walked to the station happy chatter filling the air. He sat down in the monorail and watched the landscape passing by. He knew what they wanted to talk about. They wanted him to join the team. But did he want that? Since that day, he longed to be normal. If he joined them, then this goal would go further and further away. But when he thought about it, maybe there is a connection. Yukari said that her father died in an explosion ten years ago... That was about the time his parents died... Maybe he find out what happened back then... and maybe something about himself, too. The vehicle stopped and he stepped onto the platform. Soon after he arrived at the dormitory and entered. He climbed up the stairs to the forth floor and opened the grand doors to a room looking like some kind of meeting place. To the right, there were many bookshelves, to the left was a big monitor and in the center was a table surrounded by couches, stools and an armchair, where everyone else was gathered. Or rather almost everyone as the boy took a closer look. "Where is Sanada-Senpai?"

"Oh, he's out. He'll bring someone else." Mitsuru answered calmly while flipping through one of her books. Yukari looked at her surprised.

"Someone else? You mean someone with the potential?" Right on cue the door opened, revealing a rather exhausted Akihiko.

"Sorry for the delay. We got a little caught up in his baggage." He stepped aside and another person entered the room. "I'll introduce him to you. He's from 2-F..."

"Junpei?" The archer screeched almost loud enough to break glass. "Why is he here..? That's a joke, right?"

"I'm Junpei Iori and I will live here from today on! How are ya doin'?" After they calmed down a bit (or rather just Yukari) they sat down on the couches and looked at Ikutsuki.

"So, let's start with this: Would you believe me if I said a day consists of more than 24 hours." His only response from Junpei was a baffled face while Hamuko and her twin weren't looking very surprised. "What? You are not the least shocked?"

"Well, it's that we had already known about it for about ten years." the red-haired junior stated as matter of fact. The chairman gave a disappointed sigh, pouting like a little kid.

"And there I thought I could surprise you."

"Even it is unbelievable, you all experienced it first hand. The streetlights disappear, nothing's working and coffins line the streets..." Mitsuru was interrupted when the baseball-player stood up on his stool and squeaked like a girl.

"I saw it all, dude! I was out of the convenience store when everyone around me turned to coffins! Those shadow-like creatures crawled around! I was wailing like a baby, although I don't remember it very clearly, when Sanada-Senpai …... **How embarrassing!**" After Yukari punched him, he sat down again and let their Senpai continue.

"Anyway, didn't it feel like you were in another time?" Junpei audibly gulped. "That's the Dark Hour, a hour hidden between two different days."

"Well, not really hidden. Rather nobody knows about it. But it does happen every night." Akihiko said with a smirk. "Normal people don't notice it because they are inside of their coffins, but that isn't what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. You saw those creatures. We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the dark hour and attack anyone who isn't in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. Sounds exciting, huh?" The boxer looked around in the group, his eyes fixing on Minato longer than necessary but their eye-contact was broken as Mitsuru gave him a fierce glare.

"Akihiko, why are you always like this? You just got hurt the other day!"

"Now, now. We do fight them after all." Both seniors looked away from each other like little kids and Ikutsuki sighed. "Well, long story short. We are the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad- SEES for short. We are classified as a school club but in reality, we are team dedicated to protect the people from Shadows. Mitsuru is the Leader and I'm the club advisor."

"A shadow eats from its preys mind. The victim becomes a living corpse. They are responsible for most incidents in the news, if not all of them." The leader took over. Minato nibbled at his bottom lip, seemingly deep in thoughts. "Although rare, there are those who function during the Dark Hour. Some even awaken to a power which enables them to fight the Shadows. That's Persona - the you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona users, which means it's all up to us."

"Let me guess, you want us to join, right?" Hamuko asked, with a stern expression on her face. Their senior stepped forward and opened the silver case that was lying on the table, revealing three silver guns and as many badges with SEES written on it.

"That's right. We prepared an Evoker for each of you. We'd like you to lend us your strength." The chairman said with a smile on his face and Junpei immediately shot up, grinning to his ears.

"Hell yeah! It's like we are some heroes of justice!" he shouted, grabbing his Evoker and badge. Hamuko nodded agreeing.

"I think it's a good idea and since Yukari-chan is here, I don't think I want to leave her alone with Iori-kun." She looked over to her brother, who was still thinking about something. Akihiko walked over to him and laid his hand on the boys shoulder, snapping him back to earth.

"Don't think too hard on it. Just stick with us for a while." he smiled at him and the bluenette went back to thinking and chewing on his thump. Yukari stood up and turned to her senior.

"How can you say something like this? If he doesn't want to join, then he doesn't need to and if he would then..." She looked over to the red-haired junior who gave her a nod. "I don't think it's too good for him. He doesn't seem like the type who would go into fights, so..."

"I do it."

All heads snapped to Minato, who had discarded his usual shy expression and instead took on one that showed pure determination. The brown-haired girl looked at him, worried evident in her eyes. "Are you sure about this, Arisato-kun? It could be dangerous."

"It's alright, Takeba-san. If I can help people with it, I don't mind fighting. Besides..." He looked at his sister, who looked rather surprised. "...there's something I want to know that I think I can archive when I stay here." Ikutsuki gave an amused chuckle at that.

"I'm happy to see that you are so cooperative. Now to your room assignments..How about you guys stay here, in your current room. I don't know what the hold-up was, but it worked out in the end." he chuckled like he just made some big time joke, which highly confused the boy.

"Hold-up? But wasn't that-" The junior quickly cut herself off and just sighed. "Ugh, never mind." Minato looked at the people sitting at the table, suddenly he heard something crash, his surroundings froze and turned into a darker color. When he looked up, he saw a card rotating in mid-air with a drawing walking with a dog behind him.

"_**Thou art I... and I am Thou... **_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the fool Arcana."**_

A voice whispered and the card floated closer to him and landed softly in his hand. The world turned back to normal and everyone unfroze. Was that... a Social Link?

"Now that we are that many, people we can finally can take on that place." the chairman said with an satisfied gleam in his eyes.

"With that place... you mean 'Tartarus'?" Yukari asked a little uncertain. Junpei just gave her another confused look.

"'Tartarus'...? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste."

"You could think of it as the Shadows nest. We believe we can find the secret for the Dark Hour there." Mitsuru explained and turned to Akihiko. "You are still injured. You can come with us, but fighting is out of question." After the boxer gave her a nod, she turned to the brown-haired man. "And what will you do, Mr. Chairman?" Said person shrank back in his seat.

"I-I will stay here! I can't summon a Persona..." An awkward silence set in and the student took this as their cue to leave. As the other talked about stuff, Minato fingered the card that had appeared in his pocket. So this happened whenever he interacts with someone? And how does that affect his Persona-ability's? He went to bed early this night, wondering what was lying ahead of him.

So this is it. I hope you liked this chapter. If you're only reading it for the BL, you have to wait for a bit longer. Wonder why I put 'fight', instead of 'creating'? It's because I'm not very good at Persona's and their ability's and it would be pretty confusing if I changed the Persona's as much as I did in the game.

**Please review!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	6. Chapter 6: First Night in Tartarus

I just wrote my biological test for the semester. PURE HORROR. Anyway, I need to get down, si I'll just let it all out while writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona! I don't even own my own room!

„Hi, how are you?" Minato opened his eyes again to see the smiling face of the little boy he met back in the lounge all those days back sitting on his bed. Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, he looked at him dazed.

"You are..?" He asked and the child chuckled.

"I'm always with you..." He looked at his feet and then back at the teen. "Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I wanted to tell you." he gazed at him, still a little sleepy.

"The end?"

"The end of everything. To tell the truth, even I don't know what it really is." The jail-clothed kid stood from the bed and turned to him. "I see you finally awakened to your power. To see the threads ahead of you and to be able to chose which one to take. It is quite unusual, I have to say. Is it a gift or a curse?" The bluenette carefully didn't flinch at that and the boy was suddenly standing at the end of the bed. "Do you remember when we first met? You will have to keep that promise. I will be watching you, even if you forget about me. Well, see you later." with that he left him alone. Before The junior could wonder what just happened, he drifted back to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The next day, the persona-users sat in their classroom, shaking their daze off of their previous lessons. Just as they were about to eat lunch, the door opened and a wave of whispers filled the room. Mitsuru stepped in and walked straight to her four dorm mates.

"Can I have a minute?" Without even waiting for an answer, she continued, "Do you remember that talk we had? I have some things to take care of. I want you to gather in front of the school gates before midnight." Junpei stood up and cheered.

"I don't really get it, but sure whatever!"

"Alright, see you there." And then she left without another word. The stood there stunned for a moment before the baseball-player spoke up again.

"S-She just said her part and left..." Yukari looked back at her desk and took out her bento.

"Well, she's probably busy about student council, unlike us." When she began to eat, Hamuko looked at her a little suspicious before she spoke her thought.

"Yukari-chan... do you not like Kirijou-Senpai?" Addressed girl flinched a little before responding.

"It's not that I don't like her..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They were sitting in the monorail to Port island, girls and boys separated. On one site of the train, the girls were talking about make-up and shoes... so plenty of boring stuff. On the other site, Junpei was the only one talking but with his amount of it, it didn't matter if the others did or not. Since they were all heading to the same direction, Akihiko came with them, too, only sitting there and trying his best to ignore the cap-wearing boy's annoying speech. Minato looked at his Senpai who was groaning beside him as Junpei began to talk about some chicks he once met. The moonlight was shining through the train-window, bathing the boxer in a silver light. His already pale skin looked like porcelain and his bright hair was almost glowing in the night. His brows were knitted together as his eyes were closed to calm his nerves. While every other guy would have looked like a girl, the bluenette couldn't help but think that he looked pretty cool. Not only that, he was Akihiko Sanada, senior, captain of the boxing team, Gekkoukan's golden boy and now senior of a specialized team to eliminate Shadows. He really admired people like him, he was strong and confident... he was everything the younger wasn't.

"If you continue on with this, you will bite your thump off." he hadn't noticed the older opening his eyes nor did he notice that he had begun to chew on his nail, a bad habit he had since he was very small, but nervously stopped and blushed a little at being caught in act. The silverette just smirked at him "Nervous about fighting the Shadows?"

"A-A little." `But not as much as about talking with you.´ he added in his thoughts. But then quickly shook this thought off. Just what was wrong with him?

"I was like this at first, too. Don't sweat it, you will get used to it over time. Maybe it will even be fun? I don't know but it's good training." he said as he riffled Minato's hair like the first time they met. Junpei, who was blabbering this whole time and didn't even notice their conversation, suddenly stopped at pointed at the sight that showed the next stop.

"We're here!" he shouted and ran for the exit, the rest of the group following. Once on the station, they made their way to the school, where Mitsuru was already waiting for them. "Why did we have to go here? Didn't we want to go some 'Fartikus' place? Where is it? Aren't we there yet?" Akihiko just sighed and took out his cell phone.

"Just wait a few minutes, it's almost midnight." Just as the clock struck midnight, loud creaking noises could be heard. Everyone turned to the building which split into halves and each of them began to sprout out of the earth. The two pieces grew like branches, intertwined and parted again. Sometimes even clocks appeared and big stone pillars. When they stopped moving, it began to glow in an green shade and a loud bell echoed in the night.

"This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour." The red-haired senior announced to the others. The baseball player looked baffled for a second before beginning to shriek.

"Labyrinth..? What are you talking about? What happened to our school?" He looked at the two Senpais and shouted even louder. "This is the nest you were talking about? ...But, why? Why did our school turn into a gigantic tower?" when only silence greeted him, he sighed. "You don't know either?"

"...No."

"I'm sure it's pretty complicated." Yukari said while she regarded the tower in front of her and narrowed her eyes. "It's not like it's gonna change our minds about fighting or anything, so it's not important."

"Maybe now we'll find out. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to have a peek; this will be the first time exploring it. There has to be some sort of clue about the Dark hour... Exciting, isn't it?" the Kaichou stepped closer to the boxer and laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Akihiko, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today." The other just huffed and looked away, almost pouting.

"I know, you don't have to remind me." When they stepped inside, they were greeted by a big hall with a staircase in the middle. On top of it was a big clock-like thing with a small hole on the bottom. On the left was a smaller clock that was glowing yellow and on the right an odd device that was colored green.

"Wow, it's just as cool on the inside." Junpei whispered under his breath.

"This is just the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway on top of the stairs." Mitsuru stated as the junior looked at them a little uncertain.

"First, we will have you three get a feel for this place. How about you go take a look around?" the silverette suggested and now they looked just horrified.

"What? You mean all by our selves?" The archer screeched, looking quite pale.

"We don't ask you to go very far and I'll be feeding you information's from here." The senior soothed but the panic was still there.

"S-so you two didn't plan on going in from the very beginning?"

"That's right." Akihiko said with a little smirk on his face. "We are also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions." The cap-wearing boy immediately perked up.

"A leader? ..One of us? Oh! Me me me me me! Pick me!" He said, all the while waving his hand wildly. The boxer just sweat-dropped and then turned to Hamuko.

"Arisato, you're in charge."

"Wait, what? But she's a girl!"

"But she has fought them before. And Arisato-kun did too." Yukari stated matter of factly. Junpei looked at the twins as if they were aliens.

"For real? And then the both of you, too!" Minato tilted his head a little to the side and began to chew on his nail yet again. The senior gave him a nervous look and wagged with his arms around a little.

"H-Hey, don't think so hard about why I choose her. It's not like I like her or anything, I don't care about her! Wait, that came out wrong, of course I don't not care about her at all, it's just that I don't like her better then you. I mean..." he trailed off and an awkward silence set in. Minato, not really noticing it, just nodded and gave him a approving look.

"It's alright, Senpai. It's because she can summon her Persona without any difficulties and take of decisions I don't, right? I think it's a good idea, too." he said, his face all the while staying pretty neutral. The pink-clad girl gave him a startled look that soon turned suspicious.

"That's true, but how do you know about it? You were unconscious while it happened." The bluenette gave her a small smile and looked at the ceiling.

"I just concluded it out of the information I have. When I lost awareness of the situation, there were still two Shadows left. The only two left standing were you and Aneki and since you said she already fought them, it means she defeated. Thus she has summoned her Persona." he explained calmly. Yukari looked a little impressed while Junpei smiled from ear to ear, threw an arm over the other boys shoulder and ruffled his hair.

"Dude, and you concluded all that out of only two pieces of information? You're a real brainiac!"

"So, Arisato?" Mitsuru said, bringing them back to topic. "What do you say? Do accept?" They all looked over at the girl expectantly, watching her put her finger on her lips and think for a minute before nodding.

"Alright, you can count on me!" She said with a bright smile. The council president stepped closer to them and gave each of them a a small device before pointing at a box at her site.

"I take it that you all brought your Envoker's, but you will need more than that to defeat the enemy. Here are a few weapons that you can use. They aren't really top rate, but they will have to do for now. Please pick one that suits you best." After the blue-haired Arisato took a one-handed sword out of the boy, he was about to follow the others when Akihiko stopped him at the foot of the stairs.

"Don't be too nervous. Although this will be real battles you will engage in, they are not that tough. Plus, you already fought them before, so there is no need to worry. You can do it." He patted him on the shoulder and stepped out of the way, giving him free passage to the other juniors who were waiting impatiently at the top. He was just about to run up to them, when he felt a light vibration in his pocket. He automatically turned his head to the left, noticing a strange blue door at the far wall.

"Hey, Minato! What are you taking so long?" Junpei shouted down the stairs. He looked up again and waved his hand.

"Wait a minute! There is something I have to check first!" he yelled back and walked over to it. The feeling got stronger the nearer he got and when he stood in front if it, it almost hurt. He felt on his pocket and pulled out the Velvet key, which was glowing in a bright blue light. He put it into the key hole, opened the door and stepped inside. He was greeted with the usual elevator like room, a table in the middle, a stool on one side and o the other Igor and Elizabeth.

"I've been waiting for you." The bald man said with a smirk. "It is now time for you to wield your power. The tower that you are about to venture into... How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not capable of answering these questions yet. That's why you have to be made aware of the nature of your power."

"Nature of my power?"

"Your power is unique. You might have noticed it. You, my boy, are able to see into the future. When you were a child, wasn't it sometimes that you knew things you shouldn't have? Or that you were to see things that weren't there, but shortly after were? Those were the times you could use a small part of your power. After battle, the faces of possibility will be shown in front of you. They may be hard to grasp at first, but do not fear. Seize what you earned. But that's not only that, you have the ability to tame." The teen just gave him a confused look. "Let me explain it in more detail. Sometimes, Shadows are more than they seem. Sometimes, they have a demonic core, are able to change and show their true form. You, and only you, are able to tame this core and make them your servants. It may be hard at first, but your Social Links will aid you. Be sure to keep that in mind." He looked around again and smiled again. "My spare time will soon be scarce. But, please come again on your own accord. I'll tell you then about my true role... the matter in which I can best assist you. Until then, farewell." Minato nodded and walked back, exiting the room. When he was out, the first thing he saw was Akihiko, concern written all over his face.

"Hey, are you alright? You were standing on this spot for about five minutes now and hadn't done anything."

"Just standing here? But I just opened this door and..."

"What door? I don't see anything." The older said with narrowed eyes. `He doesn't see it...´ the boy thought with a little stunned face. But really, it shouldn't surprise him, it wasn't the first time something like this happened. The senior shook his head and ruffled the younger's hair. "Maybe you shouldn't go in. If you don't feel well, then the others go and you wait here with us." The bluenette immediately perked up, his eyes filling with despair.

"B-But I'm alright! I'll try my best to not cause any trouble, but please let me go with them!" he begged in an unusual loud voice. The silverette still looked concerned for a moment before sighing.

"Alright, but if you think it's too much to handle, retreat at once, got it?" He gave him a happy nodded and ran up the stairs to the rest of the group. When they entered the maze, the first ting they noticed was that there were stairs all over the place. Sometimes there were even faces growing out of the floor and puddles of blood were coloring part of it red. The younger Arisato looked around, trying his best not to shiver.

"Whoa, this place is amazing." Junpei whispered in a low voice. Yukari was looking pretty nervous.

"And creepy." Hamuko nodded at her.

"Yeah, I hope we don't get lost..."

"_Can you four hear me?" _A voice called out. They looked around and then noticed that it was coming out of the devices that were hanging on their belts.

"Is that you, Senpai?" the red-haired junior asked to make sure.

"_I told you I would feed you information, didn't I? Anyway, the structure in Tartarus is always changing. I can help you to a certain degree, but don't forget that you have to... Hey! What was I just telling you, Iori!"_ Mitsuru shouted at them. The teens looked around, for the first time noticing that the baseball player wasn't with them anymore. _"I'll be sending you the other two into your direction, don't you dare moving from your spot! Arisato, please leave immediately for him. I have marked his position on the screen of your communicator."_

"Roger." The girl said and looked at the screen. After she memorized the data, she leaded the way, the other two following her. Minato strained his ears as he noticed a light buzzing at the end of the hall. After he was able to clearly hear it, he noticed it were fighting noises and sped up. He passed Yukari and sister, ignoring their shouts as the ran straight towards the sounds. When he arrived, he saw Junpei using his Evoker and a bright figure appeared above his head.

"Hermes!" He shouted and the light vanished, reveling a figure with robotic features and mask. An H was engraved on it's chest and on both of it's hands were metallic wings that were also attached to it's feet. It rushed towards the Shadow and eliminated it in one go. As the Persona disappeared again ,the boy slumped back at the wall.

"Junpei!" The blue-haired boy shouted, running over to the other male. He gave him and inspecting look before sighing in relief. "Thank goodness you're alright. I was worried there for a moment."

"Oh, hey Minato. Did you just see that? Was I awesome or what?" he shouted, back to full energy, just as they girls walked up to them. He grinned at them and gave his best I-am-so-cool-face he had. "Hey, ladies! You just missed my great debut!" He bragged and Minato couldn't help but grin himself. He had to admit, it was pretty cool. Just as he thought that, his view blurred and he clutched his head. When the throbbing stopped, he stood up and pushed Yukari out of the way. In an instant, a Shadow flew down on them and grazed his shoulder. He pulled out his Evoker but before he could do anything, he fell face first to the ground. Yukari froze on her spot and looked at the boy, lying at her feet.

"_Are you alright, Arisato-Outoto?" _It sounded out of the communicator.

"I did it again..." The Shadow turned and flew back at the girl, ready to rip her apart. She quickly grabbed her own gun and held it at her forehead, throwing the bird a glare. "I can do this!" she shouted and pulled the trigger. A light began to glow above her, reveling a gigantic head of an ox with a young girl bounded to it. "Io!" It threw a strong wind up at the Shadow, cutting it into little pieces before it dissolved into black fog. After she was done, she turned back to Minato, who was still lying on the ground. "Arisato-kun, are you alright?" The boy picked himself up, dusting the dirt off of his uniform.

"I'm fine, I just stumbled back there." He said in his quiet voice. Just as he was up again, more noises surrounded them and he picked up his Evoker. "Looks like were not done here yet." Something that looked like a puddle of mud turned the corner, crawling into their direction. Before he could do anything, he heard the chatter of glass and turned around to see his sister summoning her Persona.

"Eurydice!" she shouted and a female version of Orpheus appeared above her. With a quick wave of her hand, the Persona threw a block of ice at the black being, making it dissolve too. A smug smirk entered her face as she saw the fog being blowed away in the air. She was about to say something as another one appeared behind her. Minato put his Evoker on his temple and pulled the trigger.

"Orpheus!" Power surged through him as the metallic being floated above his head. He grabbed his sword and ran towards the Shadow. His vision blurred as his Persona gave a loud cry. The next moment, the short-sword was engulfed in fire. He swung and it cut right through like a knife through butter. He was breathing hard as the silver-haired being returned to him. A bright light stole his view and when he opened his eyes again, cards were floating in front of him moving at a rapid pace. He thought about Igor said about the possibilities after battle and grabbed for one. A small tingle ran through him and he looked at the card in his hand. There was a small fairy on it with red hair and a blue dress. She smiled at him through the surface. _**"I am Pixie. I hope I can be of help for you!"**_ A voice in his head called. He looked up, saw the others seemingly did not notice what happened and stashed the card in his pocket together with the one of the fool Arcana.

"_Well done. This should be enough training for now. There should be an Access point nearby. Please find it and return immediately." _Mitsuru said. They quickly searched for the object, a small green platform, and returned to the entrance. There, the seniors were waiting for them. "Welcome back. So, how was your first time in Tartarus?"

"It was easier than I thought, but now I'm pretty exhausted..." Hamuko answered for them, rubbing her eyes. The Kaichou gave an amused chuckle before speaking again.

"I'm not surprised. It's the effect of the Dark Hour, you get fatigued more easily. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I'm surprised though, you all did much better than I expected. At this rate, they will catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."

"Well, we'll see about that." the boxer said with a smile. A moment later, the room darkened again and the card in Minato's pocket began to glow through the fabric.

"_**Thou art I... And I am Thou...**_

_**Thou shalt have our blessing when fighting the Fool Arcana..."**_

Then the voice vanished again and the room turned back to normal. `Seems like my Tame powers for the Fool Arcana grew stronger, whatever that means...´ The boy thought.

"Anyway, the Dark Hour should be over soon. Let's return for now and get some rest." The silverette said and they left the tower. When they sat in the monorail back to the dorm, he slowly slipped into sleep.

Dude, this chapters are getting longer and longer! I wrote seven friggin' pages! And now I didn't get to see the weather forecast! How am I supposed to know if I should walk or take the bike to school? Well, no sense crying over spilled milk, so I'll just go to sleep now.

**Please review and good night!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	7. Chapter 7: At the Police and Summon

Dude, I shouldn't be here. I should do my homework and learn for the physic test next week. On top of it, my hands are almost frozen. 8°C, that's just crazy! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

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A long yawn erupted from the teens throat as he climbed down the stairs. Minato woke up in his bed this morning, sure that he fell asleep on the monorail. He peeked his head into the lounge, spotting Akihiko at the bar beside the stairs. When he saw the older, he made a tired smile and walked over to him. "Morning, Senpai. How was your night?" he asked in an polite voice. The silverette looked up from the paper he was reading with a toast stuck in his mouth but as he saw the other he quickly gulped it down.

"Morning, Arisato-Outoto. I slept great. How about you?" he said with a tack of nervousness. The bluenette didn't notice it and just headed for the toaster and grabbed two slices of bread. When he was done, he sat down beside the senior. He gave him a small shrug.

"I slept okay. Thanks for asking, though." They ate in silence for a while, the older trying to say something now and then but then deciding against it and shutting up again. When the Arisato was done eating, he wanted to bring his plate to the sink when something popped into his mind. "You know, Senpai, I'm sure I fell asleep in the monorail last night. Do you know why I was in my bed when I woke up?" The senior looked as if the thunder struck him and began to smirk.

"Oh, that was because I carried you up. By the way, you're lighter than I thought. Maybe you should eat more." he said touching the nose of the other with fingertip. The shorter froze for a moment before looking at his plate with a small pink tint on his cheeks. This was just a friendly statement, right...? Nothing serious... "Well, doesn't look like the others will wake up soon. Want to go ahead with me?" he gave him a hesitant nod and the older grabbed their plates and brought them to the sink. "Great, then let's go." They got their bags and left early, the monorail barely occupied when they took it. They ride was filled with small talk, Minato blushing all the while.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"...That concludes the main portion of today's assembly. Next, we'll hear a word of the Student Council. Please welcome the new President, Mitsuru Kirijou from class 3-D." As said girl stepped up to the podium, Minato heard Yukari whisper behind him.

"So, she did get elected. Well, I guess she IS the most popular girl in school." he noted there was a undertone of jealousy to be heard.

"You can say that again! It's like there's some kind of aura around her... Anyway, this school is owned by the Kirijou Group, right?" before he could get an answer, Mitsuru spoke into the microphone.

"As I begin my term as Student Council President, I'd like to tell you about my vision for this coming year. It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility for bettering our school. However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment. That is why we must restructure our daily life to accommodate this lofty goal. I'd like each of you to dig deeply into your well of motivation, and re-evaluate your convictions... To imagine a bold new future without losing sight of the realities around you. That is the key. I am certain that many of you have your own visions for the future... For us to reap the full benefits of our education, your participation, ideas and enthusiasm are essential. Thank you." A loud roar of clapping and whispers could be heard as their Senpai stepped down the stage. Junpei looked pretty impressed as he turned to his classmates.

"Wow, this was frickin' amazing..." he gave the younger a sheepish smile and rubbed his head. "So... you got any idea what she just said?" Wondering how the other was able to listen to something without understanding anything, he gave a shrug.

"Kinda..." Not really noticing the other's answer, he just continued talking.

"But man, that wasn't something a high-schooler would say.. If it were someone else, we would be laughing our asses off."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The twins were walking out of the school building when they saw Akihiko walking out, a group of girls immediately surrounding him. Shortly after their baseball playing team mate walked up to them with a small grin on his face."Man, would you look at that? I heard they're always swarming around him like that. I haven't talked to him much, but now I've got a good excuse. I know he's the captain of the boxing team, but who would have thought he would be such a chick magnet! I mean, come on, you don't even see girls flock like that on TV! I wonder where they are going..." After some thought, he added "Now that I think about it, you came to school with him this morning, right Minato? Did something like this happen, too?" At hearing that, Hamuko looked shocked before giving him a fierce glare. `She's probably got a crush on him...´ the boy thought before answering.

"Not that I know..." before he could finish his sentences, the Senpai walked up to them, breaking into their conversation.

"Hey, are you guys free this afternoon? I want you to meet me at Paulownian Mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be waiting at the police station." he said with a blank expression. Junpei looked a little surprised at that and looked at the girls who were still trying to get the older's attention.

"T-the police station? Uh, are you're friends going to come, too?" The silverette looked at the underclassmen before sighing.

"Who, these girls? I don't even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache." he looked over at Minato, who tried his best not to sigh in relief. "Anyway, I'm gonna head out. Don't keep me waiting." and then he was gone, leaving his admirers and Kohai's in his dust. The girls looked baffled for a moment before looking after him disappointed.

"Why can't he be more friendly...?"

"But that's what makes him so cool!" Shortly after, they were gone, too, leaving the second-years all alone. The cap-wearing boy sighed audibly and looked at the direction the group took off to.

"Dude, how can he not know their names? I mean, look at them!"

"But he does act pretty cold toward them. Maybe it's just the way he is with people!" His twin said in an oddly triumphantly sounding voice. The baseball player, who seemed to remember something, turned back to the youngest with a thoughtful expression.

"Now that I think about it, he took extra care of you, didn't he? Senpai even made sure that your cut on the shoulder was treated before he carried you to bed. Wonder what's..." He trailed off, staring at something behind him. Wondering what was wrong, the blue-haired boy turned around, only to be greeted by an unusually bright smile from the red-haired girl. She grabbed a hand from each of the boys and dragged them to the school gates.

"That doesn't matter right now. We should hurry to the police station! He said we shouldn't make him wait, right?" she asked in a sing-sung voice. Not really getting what just happened, Minato just let himself be dragged away. When they arrived, the mall was buzzing with people coming and going. Small children were running around, asking their parents to buy them something. Students were chatting with their friends on their way home and adults hurried to their workplaces. It made him smile as he watched the others run around so lively. His sister's voice brought him back to earth. "Now, where is the police station?" she demanded to no one in particular. The bluenette looked around for a bit before noticing a sight at the end of the road. Pointing them toward the direction the board was standing they began to continue walking, his wrist still in the redheads grip. It was a little too tight and he could not feel his hand anymore, but that was alright. At least she was not avoid him like he had a contagious illness. When they got to searched building, she seemed to notice their joined hands and immediately let go of him and stepped inside. Once there, they spotted Akihiko talking to one of the officers.

"Thank you, sir." He looked around, spotting the juniors and began to talk again. "Oh, these are the guys I was talking about earlier." He turned at the youngsters and gave them a small smirk. "I was waiting for you guys. This is Officer Kurosawa. He helps keeping our squad well-equipped. And this is from Ikutsuki-san." He walked over to them and gave each of them a small bag, which Minato figured was money. When the others gave a loud "Sweet!" and a giggle, he couldn't help smile, too. "You can't fight empty-handed, so find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections but those things still cost money."

"Of course they do." The policeman broke in. "Nothing in life is free." The silverette gave him a kind smile.

"I realize that. Well, I'll see you later. Thanks again." and with that he left the four alone the room.

"I've been informed about you three." They turned back to the grumpy-looking man. "my job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of the circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right." He turned his back to them before revealing a bunch of cartons, all filled with weapons and other stuff. " I don't have much, but you should find what you need." While the others looked for new weapons, the bluenette warily eyed the man before latter seemed to notice him for the first time and spoke up again. "You're... Minato Arisato, right?" the boy gave him a hesitant nod and the officer took out a longish package out of the counter. "Some kid brought this here earlier, saying I should give it to you, but I have no idea what's inside." Minato carefully took the package and read the letter attached to it out loud.

"For the prince of the night..." he murmured before opening it. What met his eyes was something he did not expect. An about one-meter-thirty centimeter long, sheathed sword gleamed up at him. It's cover and handle were colored in black while blue diamond-shaped holes decorated the latter. He looked at it in awe as he unconsciously unsheathed it. The blade was mostly black, too, only the sharp side was in a dark blue. The hilt, which was also in the same color as the blade, had been adorned with many little butterflies. Seeing this, he turned to the officer, who was standing there staring dumfounded at the sword in front of him. "Could you describe the child who brought you this?" The man looked at him a little uncertain. "Please! It's very important!" the oldest sighed and scratched his head, trying to remember something.

"I didn't saw their face, but they wore pretty extraordinary clothes. I mean, who would wear a kimono in these years?" His eyes widened. "What else can I say? They also had short black hair and I think brown eyes? I don't know, the kid wore a big head on their head. The voice was neither feminine nor manly, so I don't know about gender. Sorry, I can't help more." The bluenette shook his head.

"No, that's more than enough. Thank you, Kurosawa-san." He stepped in front of the others who had stop rummaging the cartons and grabbed an armor. "I would like to buy this, then." He payed and left, the others right behind him.

"Dude, what's wrong with you? What's about the sword?" Junpei asked nervously. Minato looked up at him and then back at the sword, which had been sheathed and wrapped up in the paper again.

"This swords name is Aoi Chou... It once belonged to a friend of mine." he whispered but the others were still able to catch it. Hamuko's eyes widened while the other gasped loudly.

"But you told me I were the first friend you had in years!" he shouted, catching the attention of several passerby's.

"That's true, but about four years ago, I had another friend." the blue-haired Arisato answered, his eyes icy shields. "She was only thirteen back then, but very intelligent. She always wore a black and blue kimono, her family's trade colors. This sword was one of the family heirlooms she was very proud of. Her name was Kage." The taller boy gulped.

"W-Was?" He gave him a cold blank look before responding.

"A few months after I met her, she died." Seeing the shocked faces of his companions, he looked back at the sword. "I don't know what exactly happened, but I heard that she was killed with this very sword. I hadn't thought I will ever see it again..." he trailed off, sinking into memories. But he quickly came back to his senses and looked at the others, who looked quite worried. "Anyway, this is way back. I'm already over it. I'm just wondering why it was given to me and who did it. This description Kurosawa-san made, it was perfectly fitting with Kage. The only question now is...How? How should someone who had been dead for four years send me a sword?" A thick silence fell over them, making each of them uncomfortable. After some time, Junpei groaned loudly.

"Maaaan! Those are some depressing thoughts! Why don't we talk about something more cheerful, like the money Ikutsuki-san gave us? It's way to less to buy something that could save out lives, don't cha think?" The boy said, trying to not let his awkwardness show too much. Hamuko gave him a nod, trying her best, too.

"Yeah, you're right! I was only able to buy an armor and a new naginata, but nothing else! How are we supposed to fight if we don't have enough supplies?" The other boy gave them a little wave, before walking off.

"I'm going back now. Don't come back too late, alright?" The twins waved back and now were alone in the mall. His sister tried to say something but then just said a "bye" and ran off, too. Minato looked around the mall, noticing a passage leading underground. He walked over to it, noticing the faint blue glow it illuminated. He peered from site to site, making sure no one was watching and stepped down the stairs. He found a bright blue door at the end and used his Velvet Key to open it. There was the elevator-room again with Igor grinning at the other side of the table.

"Ah, there you are. Welcome to the Velvet room." Elizabeth gave him a little bow. "Now, I think it's time for me to explain what I really do here. It is my job to help you creating new demons. But in order to do so, I have to fuse your demon cards together... in other words, I shall emerge them into a single demon. The demons you are able to summon is 170 right now... Even when we had persons who could summon multiple Personae, so called Wild-Cards, no one had been able to summon as many Personae as you can demons. When you establish Social links, you might be able to summon even more... This is going to be very interesting... Oh and don't worry about not being able to see them again, Elizabeth here," The white-haired girl stepped froward with a thick book in her arms. "is able to use the Demon Compendium. It's like a giant register for you demons. Whenever one of them learns a new skill, be sure to register it here. But whenever you want to summon one of them, it will cost you a certain price. Like they say, nothing in life is for free." he chuckled and waved his hand, a blue light shining above Minato again, revealing a small card-holder. "Take this, you will surely need it." The blue-clad girl stepped closer to him, giving him a soft smile.

"So, how can I help you?" she asked. He shook his head, beginning to walk back to the door.

"Actually, I just came to visit you for a bit and because I was curious about what was at the end of the stairs." The two inhabitants gave him a nod, he walked out and made his way back to the dorm. On the way, he filled the card-holder with the cards he already had: The Fool and Pixie. After attaching it to his belt, he opened the door of the building. Mitsuru immediately noticed him and gave him a nod.

"Welcome back. Perfect timing, I have to tell you something. We will go to Tartarus tonight, so be there at midnight." He was a little surprised at the boldness but agreed nonetheless. After that he walked up to his room, all the while the sword in his hand. Closing the door behind him, he unwrapped the blade again, mesmerized by it. He sheathed it again, laid down on his bed and set his alarm clock on 11 o' clock. He didn't want to be late to test his new sword.

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"Damn it! This thing won't die!" Junpei swore as he made Hermes attack one of the eagles. They were able to get up in Tartarus to the fifth floor where tree powerful Shadows were waiting for them. Although Mitsuru warned them that they were stronger than they were accustomed to, it was surprising how hard it was to fight them. Since they were flying, the only one able to attack them with their weapon was Yukari, who was not very accurate. Hamuko dodged one of the Garu-Attacks of the enemy and send Eurydice up, hitting them with her lyre.

"We have to defeat them! Yukari-chan, keep shooting! Junpei, keep up the physical attacks! And Blueberry, throw some fire attacks at them!" Blueberry, that was a new nickname... where did she get this from? Despite those thoughts, they boy obliged nonetheless, summoning Orpheus. He was about to do as said when a wave of Garu hit him. He stumbled a bit but remained on his feet. He swung his arm, ordering his Persona to use Agi. The fireball hit one of the birds square on the head, making it flying a little lower. He made a run for it, jumped and slashed it in halves with Aoi Chou. "Two to go!" His sister shouted.

"Kyah!" he turned around to see Yukari lying on the floor, the gigantic birds cowering above her. Mitsuru on the other side of the communicator gasped.

"_Takeba is down and really hurt! Has anyone of you Dia-skills?"_ She shouted into her transmitter. Junpei clucked his tongue as he ran toward the girl.

"Damn it! Our only healer is down! What should we do?" Minato was about to join, too, when a small voice called out to him.

"_**Come on, Master! That's when I can come in handy!" **_The voice called. He looked down to his card-holder, slowly opening it. He pulled out the card of pixie, observing as the little fairy was almost begging to get out. Without knowing what he was doing, he crashed it in the palm of his hand.

"**Pixie!"** he shouted as she appeared beside him. He looked at the little demon and she giggled, immediately knowing what she had to do. She flew over to the birds, skillfully avoiding any combat, and used Dia on the dizzied girl. Her wounds slowly closed and after some time, she was completely recovered and back on her feet. She looked at the fairy in front of her, not really getting what's going on.

"What..." she started but was interrupted by the demon.

"**No time for this! If you don't do something soon, Master will be in trouble!"** Pixie said in an unexpected loud voice. Yukari looked up and saw the bluenette getting attacked by the last remaining Shadow. The brown-haired ran over to them, knocking the enemy down with one shoot.

"Here's our chance for an All-Out-Attack!" She shouted and and ran towards the bird together with the rest of the group. When they were done, only a cloud of black fog remained and they finally relaxed.

"**Oh, Master!" **Pixie screeched in a high-pitched voice. He flew to Minato and rubbed herself up his cheek. **"I was so worried something would happen to you! Are hurt badly? Shall I heal you?" **she asked without breathing. (Probably because she didn't anyway) The Arisato peeled her off his face and held her in his palm.

"I'm fine, Pixie. Please return now, alright?" The fairy nodded and turned back to a card, lying flatly in the boys hand who put it back into the card-holder.

"Dude, what the heck was that?" Junpei asked, his mouth wide enough to get a train through. The other boy tilted his head to the side, considering his options.

"Well, that was a demon." he simply stated after some thinking. The others just stared at him dumbfounded before his sister snapped and pulled him on his cheeks.

"That's not an acceptable answer, Blueberry!" she shouted, bringing tears of pain into her twins eyes before she let go again. "Tell us what happened and why you have a demon with you. Now!" But as she said that, she began to trip, falling face-first if it weren't for Yukari. "Alright, maybe we should first return to the entrance." Once they were back down, Mitsuru walked up to them, earpiece still inside.

"I heard it from down here. Arisato-Outoto, I think you have a lot to explain." Everyone was staring at him and the boy uncomfortably shifted on his feet. What was he gonna tell them? Oh, I just dreamed about an odd blue elevator-room with a long-nosed man and a girl in blue who told me I could see in the future and summon about 170 demons? Yeah, that was about to work as good as the idea of bacon flavored tomatoes. He looked up at the group, his face a stern shield.

"There's nothing really to tell. One morning, I just woke up and had Pixie with me. She was the one who taught me how to do it. Seems like I always had this kind of power, I just didn't notice it up until now." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie, just not the whole truth. Mitsuru gave him a look that practically screamed `I don't trust what you're saying but I will go with it for now´ and gave him a now, approving his explanation.

"Very well, the Dark Hour should end soon and you all must be tired. Let's go back now." She said and shooed them out. As they walked the way to the dorm, Minato wondered what the others must have thought about his ability. `I hope they don't think I'm a freak. I wouldn't be able to handle it if something like with Kage happened gain...´

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So, this is it! Most people probably know what Kage means, right? You guessed right, it's Shadow in Japanese! Yep, I brought myself into the story, but I won't have a major role. I'm just something that leads the story to it's end. But, seriously, I won't make more than one OC into this story, so don't worry about new Characters.

**Review or frogs will fall out of you school locker!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	8. Chapter 8: Magician and Hanged Man

I should be doing my math homework but I rather sit here and write something. I just watched with a friend of mine the Professor Layton movie and it was pure awesome!

Disclaimer: If I were to own Persona 3, there would be romantic social links for the male MC with the boys of the group.

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A new day, a new day full of boring school work. Minato didn't even bother to listen and just slept on top of his desk. Those teachers were pretty odd anyway and if they said anything important, he would be able to read back in his room. When the last class was dismissed, the bluenette lazily stretched his arms above his head. When he yawned loudly, Junpei walked over to him, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, dude. Mind hanging out with me after this? I know some place that's really good! It'll be my treat! C'mon, let's go!" the other Persona-user considered his options and shortly after nodded. "Alright, then let's head out!" He shouted dragging the silent boy out of the room, Hamuko's glare going unnoticed. They walked all the way to the strip mall into a shop called 'Hagakure Ramen'. Although it was pretty crowded, they were able to get seats at the far back. The cap-wearing boy looked at him with a grin as he the young Arisato admired the decoration of the shop. "Alright! We'll have two specials, please!" The boy's head snapped back to his companion in confusion. "oh, well, the normals here are good, too, but the special. Pure. Awesome." Shortly after, a waiter came and brought them their meals and the shorter took a bite of his noodles. In an instant, his mouth was filled with the aroma of the soup that was perfectly blending in with the thick noodles. The other gave him a big smile when he saw the wide eyes of him. "Good, isn't it? Well, I'll dig in too! it's chow time!" He noisily slurped his Ramen almost burning his tongue but enjoying them nonetheless. After some time off eating in silence, the baseball-player spoke up again. "Hey... do you feel okay now? I heard that while you were out, you were in hospital. Although you were very quiet, you seemed full of energy... but I was still kind of worried."

"Is that why you invited me out?" Junpei rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

"Well, yeah! I had some problems myself when I transferred here, too. But now you've got the whole fighting thing on top of it. I was wondering if you weren't accustomed to school or whatever... Then again, Hamuko is going through the same thing and she seems fine, so I think you will, too." He gave him an embarrassed laugh and Minato began to smile at him. Something crashed and the room turned dark, only a small blue light above him was still in color.

"_**Thou art I... And I am Thou...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Magician Arcana..."**_

A card with the picture of a person with flames in their hands flew down and he grabbed it and put it into his card-holder before time turned back to normal and the cap-wearing boy began to chuckle.

"Now that I think about it, girls and boys in the same dorm? That won't end good." The bluenette tilted his head to the side.

"Huh? What do you mean with that?" He asked and only received a shaking head that was adored with a smirk.

"My, my, Minato. You're more innocent that I have thought. But don't worry, You will understand soon enough." He raised from his seat, gaining the attention of several other tables in the room. "With me- Junpei-sama, great mastermind about girls and romance- as your teacher, you will soon understand the interactions of boys and girls! Now, my loyal student, let's go get to the very first lesson!" He was about to walk out of the door (probably to go somewhere he can hit on girls) when Minato blocked his way, a bright blush on his face.

"There is totally no need for that! I can talk with girls just fine, so please shouting stuff like that!" he hissed and the taller just laughed and sat down in seat again.

"No need to get so worked up, I'm just kidding. Welp, let's eat up or the chef will get angry." The bluenette huffed but did as told. On their way home, they chatted for a bit about trivial stuff which was immediately stopped as they heard Mitsuru in the lounge.

"Welcome back. We won't be going to Tartarus today, since everyone is tired. Please get rest so that we can continue with our mission as soon as possible." she finished and turned back to her book. The junior looked at each other but just shrugged their shoulders and walked up the stairs, talking again about video games and music. Arriving at their rooms, they bid each other Good night and went to bed.

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"Hamuko-chan, where are you going?" Addressed girl turned back to Yukari, who was still seated and packing her bag. She threw a small look at her brother who was looking right back before she responded.

"I heard the sports clubs are accepting new members. Just wanted to check it out." her classmate's face brightened up while hastily stuffed her books into her bag and ran up to the red-head.

"That's great! You want to try archery? You seem pretty good in sports, so I thought you would like to try it. It's really fun and all and only girls are able to join." she babbled with a weird twinkle in her eyes. The younger girl stepped away from her, seemingly wary of her boldness.

"Uh, is the archery club even accepting new members...?" she asked hesitantly, trying to fend the other and her eery eyes off. The pink-clad girl quickly snapped out of it and straightened up.

"Hmmm, you're right. Well, too bad, it would have been fun making sport with you. Anyway, I'm free right now so I can show you where the other clubs are." She turned to the other Arisato who still sitting at his desk, trying to get order in his papers. "Do you want to come, too, Arisato-kun? I'm sure there's a sports club for you!" After he was able to shake off his surprise, he gave her a smile but shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really a sports person. Besides, I wanted to go to the shrine today." he said, trying to look as apologetic as possible. Big brown eyes observed him for about a minute before the owner turned away, looking quite disappointed.

"Alright. Have fun at the shrine!" she shouted and dragged his sister off to the gym. The bluenette turned back to his bag which was still looking like a battlefield. He sighed and just closed it and headed out of the school. When he arrived at the steps of the old building he heard a loud bark in the distant and silent taps of paws. A gray dog came down and sat down on his feet, almost smiling at him. Shortly after, he heard foot steps echoing.

"Koromaru! Please wait!" A boy with short black hair and brown eyes ran down the stairs. He wore a Gekkoukan uniform, a neck tie neatly bound and jacket closed. His face was very round, almost looking like a girl if he hadn't worn pants. His chocolate-brown eyes were fixed at the canine at the bottom and his arm was waving around wildly. "Koromaru, you know you shouldn't run off!" he scolded as he arrived in front of the taller, only earning a mocked whimper. He looked up at the teen standing there, for the first time noticing him. He examined him for a bit before speaking "You are... Minato Arisato, right?" The other stepped back cautiously.

"How do you know my name?" The shorter tilted his head to the side before clapping his hands together while making a small head bow.

"So it really is you! I have to say, you look almost the same as on the photographs!" he said with a bright smile. He stepped closer to the boy and took his hands. "It's nice to meet the Prince of Nights and the new wielder of Aoi Chou!" Minato looked baffled at the brown-eyed boy, quickly pulling his hand back.

"Prince of Nights...?And how do you know about Aoi Chou...?" The black-head gave him a small chuckle and stepped even closer. Koromaru sat there, just looking at the scene in front of him.

"Not easy to convince and as cautious as a cat. You're just as she always told me." he said all the while grinning. "There is one definite answer to all of your questions to me." He slightly lowered his eye lids, his iris seemingly a dark red. "Kage. Does this say something to you?" His blue eyes widened in shock and took a few steps away from the younger.

"How...?"

"How? Well, that's easy. It's because..." His eyes turned even redder. "I was the one who killed her." Minato froze and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees. The shorter slowly stepped closer to him. "You know she was very kind, right? Just too kind. It was pretty easy to take the sword from her and her life with it. I never thought someone else would try to inherit her burden, but it seems I've got no other choice. That's nothing personal, just business." He stood right in front of him and the junior closed his eyes, before...

...feeling a light pat on the top of his head. He slowly opened his eyes to see the smiling face of the child.

"I'm just kidding."

A few moments passed as Minato just stood there, staring at the boy who had already had taken off his hand and crouched down to play with the dog. Just then, his mask cracked and he snapped.

"**THAT WAS TOTALLY NOT FUNNY!" **he shouted at the top of his lungs, making the younger visibly flinch. Latter turned around at him with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Sorry, it's just I wanted to see how humans would react if someone who killed someone important to them stood in front of them." he stood up again and walked over to the older. "I'm Saoto Kirita. Junior Demon summoner, Gekkou Middle school third-year, owner of the shrine and Kage's little brother." He said, stretching his hand out. Minato was taken aback yet again and looked at Saoto unbelieving.

"Wait a sec, you're Kage's little brother? How come she never told me about you?" The younger tilted his head to the side again, thinking.

"She didn't? Oh well, but she certainly told me about you!" He pulled a book of the mag that was he was carrying on his back. He opened it, reveling a bunch of photos of the bluenette. While he was eating, doing sports, sleeping and even some when he was coming out of the shower. He blushed a scarlet color and tried to snatch the album out of the others hands, but he easily dodged.

"Where the heck did you get those pictures?" he shouted but only received a catlike grin.

"**I **didn't get it anywhere. Seems like Nee-chan was a real stalker of yours." He skipped through the book, took out a piece of paper and showed him the page. It showed the older on the floor, totally covered in flour and cream. "22th February 2005. Minato and I tried to bake a cake for Hamuko's and his twelfth birthday. When I told him to get me the cream, he tripped over the flour bag and fell to the floor. He looked so cute lying there! I was lucky Kouji lent me his camera to photograph the cake. I made a photo while he was still dizzy. I think about printing it out in poster-size and pin it on the wall of my room." he raised his eyes from the entry at the flustered boy in front of him. "Do you believe me now that I'm her little brother?" he received a small nod and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, if you didn't, I would have to read more out of this stuff. I have to say, Minoko is really creepy... Stalking someone like this and even spy on them..." The older snapped out of his embarrassment, looking the other straight in the eye.

"Minoko? I thought her name was Kage?"

"No, no. Kage was just an alias of hers. Her real name is Minoko Ameni." he said with a small smile. "She was a Demon summoner, just like you." Before the blue-haired Arisato could say anything, he continued. "Anyway, I heard you're also a Persona-user? That's pretty rare. If you ever need help with your demons, you can come to me. Since I've been longer in this business than you, I might be able to help you out." he stretched out his hand yet again and this time the junior took it. A loud voice echoed again as the world took a gray shade again. Oddly, Saoto kept his colors.

"_**Thou art I... And I am Thou...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hanged Man Arcana!"**_

The world turned back to normal and Minato took the card and stuffed it into his card-holder. When he looked up again, the younger was having an astonished expression on his face.

"So this was one of the Social links I heard so much about..." he whispered under his breath. The bluenette gave him a questioning look which he immediately understood. "Oh, I know about them from Igor. My family is a long line of summoners and we have been working with the inhabitants of the Velvet room for quite some time now." He let go of the others hand, puffed his cheeks up and clenched his hands to fists. "Anyway, I can do more than just strengthening your Tame abilities! I'm also able to make new weapons for you! So, whenever you got a Demon and a weapon you want to fuse, just come to me! But I'm not able to fuse any weapon only the ones the golden Shadows in Tartarus carry! Although I can't summon a Persona, I want to help you as much as possible!"

"You can't summon a Persona, yet you seem to know about the Dark Hour pretty much. How is that?" the shorter looked away from him, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Well, I don't know if I should tell you this, but for a Persona to awaken, the user has to be triggered by something. A certain event, losing someone, gaining of resolution for something... none of it happened to me although I am active during that time. For the information, I have Igor to tell me." He looked at Koromaru who was sitting beside the gate to the shrine. "Anyway, did you want something here? The owner of the shrine was a relative of mine and I just inherited it, so I have to keep it in shape all the time with the help of Koro-chan." The older boy shook his head.

"It's alright. Just one question. How old are you? You don't seem like fourteen." The smaller gave him a surprised look before a smile graced his lips.

"I'm ten, turning eleven in August." he said before running up the stairs, the dog closely following him. Minato saw them off before turning away, walking back to the dorm. His little conversation with Saoto took longer than he had thought and the sun was already setting. On his way, he remembered something and gripped his head in despair.

"Damn it! I forgot to take the photos from him!" he yelled through the streets, gaining the attention of some bystanders. When he calmed down another question came to his mind. "Huh? I totally forgot to ask who that Kouji guy is." He continued walking back home, arriving at the building and opened the doors. Mitsuru was sitting at the side of the coffee table together with the other girls while Akihiko seemed to look at something in the cupboard.

"Oh, Arisato-kun! You're back!" Yukari said waving him over to them. "Hamuko-chan joined the tennis club today and was immediately accepted! I knew that would happen since she is so talented." he looked at his sister who was looking pretty disinterested since he was there. "So, how was shrine?" he turned back to his classmate who was smiling happily at him.

"It was nice, I suppose." he simply stated, not giving an definite response. He didn't want to tell them about Saoto just yet. They would try to recruit him for SEES, he was sure of it. And since the younger said he wasn't able to summon a Persona, it would probably end with him hurt. The bluenette hoped that would satisfy her as an answer. The girl nodded and her face brightened up even more if it was possible.

"But it must have been pretty boring, right? There's hardly anything at the shrine and even less people go there. It's only good for something if there's a festival, you want to be alone or are religious." She looked at the junior beside her who sipped at a soda she probably got on the way home. "Anyway, we're going to Tartarus today, so be there at midnight, alright?" He nodded and walked up to his room. At the bottom of the stairs, he could have sworn someone was watching him.

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4/23/2009 Friday Dark Hour

"_I detect 3 Shadows on the floor at the central area. Once again, you're facing a new kind of enemy, so stay alert."_They had somehow made it to the tenth floor today and Minato was able to get some more demons. Now that he had the Magician Social link, it was much easier to communicate with Pixie and the Magician Shadows seemed to be much easier to fight. Now he also had Apsaras of the Priestess Arcana but although he didn't have the Social link, it wasn't hard to handle her since she was a very kind. They turned the corner, spotting three gigantic pink hands with faces. _"Prepare yourselves!"_They heard Mitsuru shout before the enemy rushed into their direction. They quickly shattered, dodging the attack. Hamuko took out the microphone of her communicator.

"Senpai, we need an analysis of the enemy!"

"_Got it, I attempt to analyze the enemy."_The girl gave an approving grunt before raising her naginata and dashed toward the enemy. She successfully slashed one of the fingers of the hands, dissolving into black mist. Right after, she took out her Evoker summoning Eurydice.

"I summon you!" The golden haired Persona floated above her head, throwing an ice spell at the pink Shadows. Latter just shook it off and moved toward Yukari, who was shooting arrows at it. "Ice spells are not working?"

"_I don't get any information's about the Shadows!" _Their senior announced, making Minato even more nervous then he already was. He, too, took out his gun and aimed at his head.

"If we don't get any info's, we have to get them ourselves! Come forth, Orpheus!" he shouted as the Master of strings emerged out of him. The Persona took out his lyre, flying toward the Shadows and striking it on it's head, making it fall to the floor flat. "Seems like it's weak to Strike attacks!" He yelled triumphantly at the others. Junpei nodded at him and pulled the trigger, making Hermes attack the fallen Shadow. It stood up for a second before falling back to the floor, only the tips of it's finger moving. Eurydice also raised her lyre, smashing the other hands to the floor.

"Alright, now let's bring an end to this!" she shouted rushing towards the enemies, the rest of the team following her. Loud cracking and stumping could be heard and the next ting the dust lifted, revealing three beat up hands. The bluenette summoned his Persona again which crashed into one of the Shadows, only leaving black fog behind. The others followed soon after, dissolving with a high-pitched shriek. With the battle finally over, Minato slumped to the ground, obviously fatigued.

"_Arisato-Outoto, are you alright?" _echoed it out of the device on his belt.

"I'm alright, I just need to catch my breath." he said, gasping for air. He slowly raised himself from his crouched position only to fall over again. Junpei ran over to him, gabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet.

"Dude, you're most definitely not alright. Let's go back for now, we cleared this guardian and Minato needs rest." he suggested, throwing the other's arm over his shoulder, giving him support. But the younger struggled, trying to get away from him.

"I can still keep on going! We don't have to stop just because of me!" he shouted but was silenced by Hamuko who was standing in front of him, hands on her hips.

"Blueberry, you're coming back with us and get some rest. That's an order." He looked perplexed for a second before nodding and letting himself being carried away by his classmate.

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Three days. It took me three frickin' days to finish this chapter and it's not even as long as the last chapter! The people who follow my blog and read my other stories might know who Saoto is. He is my favorite OC and imaginary brother. And I think I forgot to translate the name of Minato#s new sword.

Aoi Chou means blue butterfly in English, or something like that. I'm just as good in Japanese as some American are in German.

And you know what my sister said about writing BL? She said I should write "Akihiko! Let's make love together!" And well yeah, I'm happy I wrote it in the last chapter differently.

**Review or your hair will turn into chickens!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	9. Chapter 9: Drama in Tartarus

This story is about three weeks old and already got over 1,300 hits! Thanks for all the support! I hope you will enjoy this chapter, too!

Disclaimer: If I were to own Persona 3, it would be a Boys love visual novel!

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"Just what is this place? Weren't we just in Tartarus?" Yukari asked as they arrived at the top of the stairs. They were on what seemed to be a floating platform, each of the sides only leading down into an ocean of blood. In the center was an access point a briefcase and a staircase which was blocked by a bunch of chairs and tables.

"It seems you've reached the first barrier. I don't think we'll be able to get any higher today. Please return to the entrance." Mitsuru said through the communicator. Hamuko gave a small grunt before walking closer to the stairs where the brown bag was lying and shook her head.

"There's seriously something wrong with those Shadows. Everywhere we go, we find some stuff that shouldn't be here! Money, armors, gems, heck, we even found some weapons! If we are the first one to explore this place, just how did all that get inside here?" she ranted as she picked it up and opened the object. She revealed a torn piece of paper, already colored yellow after many years of age. Black ink adored one side of it while the other was patched stained with what seemed like fat specks. "Looks like an old diary entry... Must have been torn out of the book..." The red-haired girl inspected it for a second before handing it to her brother who just looked from the book site to her, confused. The older audibly sighed. "I can't read it, so I want you to read it out loud." she explained. The boy still looked at her for a moment then looked back the the piece of paper, beginning to read.

" 'The electricity hooked up. But why do they need so much? There's only a school on the island...' " The others waited for the bluenette to continue but as nothing came, they just looked at him disappointed.

"That's it?" The younger twin turned the strip in his hand, shrugging with his shoulders.

"Seems like it." he said, handing it back to his sister. He looked at the stairs for a moment before turning back to the group. "The Dark Hour should end soon. We should go back to the dorm." He said and the others nodded, following him to the access point. It was always a weird feeling using that thing. It was like you were pushed into a raging river and then pushed out again, leaving a sick feeling in your stomach. The blue-haired Arisato stepped out of the green light, clutching his tummy with a small grimace on his face. He looked over to Junpei as the other made a long groan.

"Dude, although the fights weren't that hard today, I'm totally cut up! Not only that, I can't concentrate probably anymore! And I'm not even tired! Damn, that's so annoying." He looked over to his classmate who just blinked at him. "Hey, are you alright? You seemed pretty worn out yesterday, is it really okay for you to be here?" More blinking erupted but then there was a nod.

"I'm fine. I slept through most of the lessons today, so I should be alright." When the older just gave him a baffled look, he blinked even more. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, it's just that I can't believe you don't listen to the lectures. I always thought that you were a goodie-two-shoes who does anything the teacher tells them to. Don't judge a book after it's cover huh?" The baseball player stretched his arms over his head and looker over at the girls who seemed to have a animated conversation of their own. "Hey, maybe we should remind the others that we are still in Tartarus and should get out of here before this whole place collapses, what do you think?" Minato gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Yes, let's do this." he said and walked over to the females, who immediately stopped their argument when the boys arrived. Yukari looked away from them with a frown on her face while Hamuko just walked away. Both males just looked confused at their Senpai who coughed at nothing in particular and changed the topic.

"Anyway, let's return to the dorm for now. And remember, although we are not able to advance any further, we should still train. Please keep that in mind." She said and stepped to her motorcycle, gathering her stuff together. As they stepped out of the tower, they made their way to the station right away. The bluenette slowly raised his thump to his lips, beginning to softly chew on it. The taller boy leaned over to him, whispering into his ear.

"Hey, what do you think they talked about? Yuka-tan seemed pretty troubled and even Kirijou-Senpai looked uncomfortable. The only person who didn't seemed affected was Hamuko-chi, but I'm sure she's just not showing it." The other looked at the people walking in front of them, making sure they weren't listening before answering.

"I'm not sure, but it possibly could have something to do with us. They stopped talking right after we walked up to them, so it's very likely. Not only that, I could have sworn they were looking over to us when the were in the argument, like they were considering what to do with us. It might just be girls stuff, but concluding out of their reactions, it must be pretty serious." he said, observing the girls closely. The cap-wearing boy just gave a low groan and followed his gaze.

"Serious? I hope not. I hate dealing with serious stuff." The summoner put his hands on his hips and shook his head, looking exhausted of all the hard thinking.

"Not that they will tell us any time soon anyway. Girls can be pretty stubborn if they want to." he looked at the females again who hadn't said a word on the way to the station. "Let's just wait for now. Maybe there will be a time for us to find out." He looked over to his teammate who looked like he was about to crack up. "I-Is something funny?" He finally did and pointed his finger at the shorter, tears at the corners of his eyes.

"D-Dude! Y-You seriously look like a girl right now!" A rainbow of emotions flooded the boys face, rapidly changing. First there was surprise, then embarrassment which was quickly replaced my red anger. While his face took on a cherry color, he lifted his hand and gave Junpei a hard smack on the head.

"I SO DO NOT LOOK LIKE A GIRL!" he shouted at him, gaining the attention of the girls. The older just laughed even harder trying to wave the bluenette away.

"Man, never seen yourself in a mirror? You look like a girl even without posing like that!" His face became even redder as he stomped away, onto the platform.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

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Minato blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he stuffed his books into his bag. Last night's argument (Which wasn't really an argument but rather a childish way of wasting time as Mitsuru placed it) ended with him going pouting into room and Junpei still laughing his ass off about his girly behavior. Just as he put the last paper away, said boy stood in front of his desk, wide grin on his face.

"Hey, you wanna go to the movies with me?" he asked as if nothing had happened. The shorter gave him a furious glare before huffing and turning away.

"After what you did last night? Never." the other sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Dude, how much longer are you going to act like a girl? It was just a little comment and you can't deny that you do look kinda like a female." As he got no reaction of the younger, he sighed once again. "And there I was, wanting to treat you at Wild Duck Burger after it." The smaller immediately turned around, an odd spark in his eyes.

"Did you just say Wild Duck Burger?" The black-haired boy stepped away from the other, wary of his sudden change of attitude. "I love the food there! I'm coming with you!" After they watched the movie, they were sitting in said restaurant, Minato happily munching on his fries while Junpei just sighed in distress.

"Man, the movie was nothing like I expected. The villain wasn't all that evil. It kinda killed it for me as he started talking about his tragic past..." he looked over at the other boy who was now sucking on his drink. "I can't believe you just came for the food. I'm sure you didn't even paid attention to the movie. Am I at least considered forgiven?" The shorter stopped to think for a moment before giving a small nod.

"You are, for now. But I have to correct you that I really did watch the movie. I think it was pretty good, although the story was surprisingly complex." he stated calmly, grabbing after his third burger.

"Dude, for your small stature, you are eating quite a lot. Do you really think your body can take it?" As he just received a shrug, he sighed once again. "But seriously, there even some guys at school who think you look like a girl that makes both girls and boys interested in you. Plus, Hamuko-chi, the infamous Yuka-tan and Kirijou-Senpai live at our dorm, too. Most of the guys really envy us for that." The bluenette just shrugged again.

"Let them be jealous." The cap-wearing boy gave him a grin and chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, it's not like any of it is our fault." After sipping on his own drink he looked back at the shorter. "..Actually, you don't seem to be interested in anyone. You are not even asking me who said all this stuff. ...But now that I think about it, no guy would sink that low to get a girlfriend. Also, you have your hands full with other stuff right now. ….To tell the truth, that goes for me, too..." Junpei's expression turned serious and the world turned dark again.

"_**I am thou... And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Magician Arcana!"**_

After the colors returned to normal, the older had his trademark grin on his face again. "Hey, you want some more fries? You don't mind sharing with me, do you?" he said, standing up. After they were done eating, they went back to the dorm where the girls and their upperclassman were already waiting for them. "Hey there ladies and Senpai! Did you guys have a nice day, too?" Only silence was his answer and a heavy atmosphere hit them. Minato shifted uncomfortably, Junpei just stood there with his mouth opened and even Akihiko grimaced. After they stood there for about a minute, the bluenette pulled at the others sleeve, pulling him toward the stairs. He gave their senior a nod who got the message and followed after them. Once out of earshot form the others, they began to sprint up the steps, only stopping once they were on top in the common area of the boys floor. They younger turned around and gave the older a quizzical look. "Just what is wrong with those people? Why are they so moody?" The silverette just sighed and looked away from them.

"I've got no idea. They've been like this since they arrived back here. I lived with Mitsuru for quite some time, but something like this never happened before. I wonder what happened." The males looked at each other, trying to figure out what was wrong. The youngest tilted his head to the side, thinking hard on something.

"In all the time I lived with Aneki, this has never happened either. I hope it's nothing serious..." A few minutes of silences reigned again until the black-haired junior loudly shouted and ruffled his hair in despair.

"Ugh! All this hard thinking is so annoying! I'm going to play video games now, don't you dare knock on my door!" And with that he stormed down the hall into his room. The two others just stood there for a moment before Akihiko awkwardly looked at the shorter, scratching his head.

"Um, you should go to bed, too. Don't worry about the girls, it will be alright." He was about to walk to his room, too, as the underclassman grabbed his arm, holding him back. He looked down into light blue eyes which were shining with concern.

"Do you really think it will be okay? I've got a feeling that it's very important." his grip tightened, the only sign of his worry showing. The senior sighed and softly patted the other on the head with a kind smile on his face.

"Don't worry about it. They are probably just stressed about Tartarus and school. Tomorrow is Sunday, so they will have time to relax. You will see, as soon as day breaks, they will be fine again." He kept his hand on Minato's head, latter's face slowly turning into a light pink. When he removed it, his skin kept the color his eyes still full of anxiety. Embarrassed about the seriousness, the silverette tried to change the topic. "By the way, we never really had a healthy conversation, right? How about we sit down and talk about ourselves for a bit?" After a nod from the shorter, they walked up to the stools which were standing in the center of the room. After they sat down, the boxer seemed lost for a moment, probably searching for a topic to talk about. "Y-Your sister once told us that you experienced the Dark hour for about ten years, but how is that possible? How did you survive for so long without being attacked by Shadows?" The bluenette gave him a blank look before looking at his folded hands in his lap.

"It was about the time our parents died. You know, the big explosion on Moonlight bridge? I was hospitalized after that for a few months, but I'm sure I felt it. Every night at midnight, I would feel a pull, the electricity fail and the sky would turn into a creepy green. After that, my sister wasn't the same anymore. She didn't speak to me anymore and kept her distance. I don't know why or how we made it for so long but fact is we did." he told in his quiet and calm voice but the undertone of pain and fear didn't go unnoticed by Akihiko. The older walked up to him and laid hand on his shoulder, trying to make a reassuring gesture.

"It's alright. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." A small nod from the other was his only answer and he moved his hand back to the blue mop hair. "I don't know exactly what happened and you don't have to tell me. But you don't have to worry that much about Arisato. She's a big girl and can take care of herself." And he, too, walked down the hall into his room. Minato sat there for a minute, letting the recent events sinking in before returning to his room, too. He slumped down on his bed, closing his eyes and letting this one thought rerun through his head.

"_**I think the blueberry should be removed from the dorm and SEES." **_

He opened his blue orbs again looking at his hand beside his face. That ability to hear parts and breaks of a conversation he wasn't supposed to hear... It came together with his awareness of the Dark Hour and his fortunetelling. Usually he ignored the small voices in his head but this time... it was his sister who spoke those words. Does she really not want him with her? Does she really hate him to that degree where she didn't want to have anything to do with him? As he slowly drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but hope that it all had another reason.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

4/26/2009

The smell of spring filled the air together with the sight of falling cherry blossoms. When the younger twin walked down the steps, he heard soft laughter coming from down in the lounge. He peeked his head inside, only to see the three girl sitting at the table, talking about stuff. Or rather, Yukari and Hamuko talked and Mitsuru sat beside them, sipping at her tea with a book in her hand. The boy sighed in relief. It was just as Sanada-Senpai said. The next morning, everything will be alright again. He stepped out of his hideout and walked up to them, a small smile on his face. "Good morning." he said quietly. His teammates looked up to him, the only one to greet him back being the pink-clad girl.

"Good morning, Arisato-kun. You look great!" she said before thinking, clasping her hand over her mouth, a bright blush on her face. Minato wore a gray double-breasted jacket, a white turtle neck shirt under it and black pants. He had his earphones hanging down around his neck, his mp3-player safely tucked in his pockets. He gave her a confused look before she began to splutter again. "W-What are you going to do today, Arisato-kun?" He tilted his head to the side, considering his options before answering.

"I think I'm going to the shrine again." he said without making any further explanations. After the girl bid him goodbye, he moved towards the door. Once outside, he breathed in the fresh air and walked toward the old building. As he stepped up the stairs, he could already hear loud barking and a soft voice talking back. Once on top, he saw Saoto standing there with a broom in his hands. He wore a black kimono with blue hakama, his black hair pulled back into a small ponytail. As soon as he spotted the older, his face visibly brightened up and he waved wildly with his arm.

"Good morning, Minato-nii-san!" he shouted and the other just gave him a nod in return. He couldn't help but smile at the dog which was jumping around his feet.

"Good morning Saoto." he crouched down and patted the canine on the head. "Good morning to you too, Koromaru." he looked over to the younger who was sweeping away the fallen blossom petals. "Do you need any help with that?" The brown-eyed head snapped up to him but it shook hastily.

"It's alright, I'm almost done anyway!" he said. After a few minutes filled with brushing sounds, they sat down on one of the benches that were standing beside the playground. The bluenette observed the shorter's clothing for a bit before speaking up.

"That coloring... It's your family's trademark, right?" Saoto looked up at him and then back at his clothes, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah. It represents the night." He began to watch two birds picking on seeds at the other side of the shrine. "I told you before, right? That my family is a long lineage of demon summoners. Not everyone had the summoner blood inside them but those who had weren't allowed to interact with normal humans because it was too dangerous for them. The children grew up in an isolated community and were trained from the moment they were able to talk. The only exception was Kage." At the confused face of the other, he smirked a little. "Right, you don't know. She's only my half sister. Since she wasn't a direct descendant of the clan, she wasn't considered as a potential summoner. But after some time, they accepted her and she became a candidate of being the next heir. Aoi Chou is evidence of it. Shortly after all this happened, she met you." Minato looked a little surprised but the smaller just continued. "After her death, they heads of our clan understood that it was important to bond with people to properly bond with the demons. But I wonder, she wasn't miss social butterfly. I wonder why she was so attracted of you."

"But if the sword is evidence of being a candidate for the next heir, why do I have it now?" Saoto just shrugged with his shoulders.

"No one really knows, but I think it's because they think that you deserve it. From all the people who were involved, it probably hurt you the most." he looked at the other who seemed to be deep in thought and nudged him on the arm. "Hey, don't think about it too hard. It's just something I came up with. And thanks. I kept all this inside for a while now, it's nice to let it all out."

_Crash!_

"_**I am Thou... And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hanged Man Arcana!"**_

"Seriously, this Social Link stuff is so damn cool. Getting stronger with the bonds you make with people... It must be pretty handy." Minato looked at his feet, his eyes narrowed.

"Handy? I think it's pretty mean. Making friends just to get stronger... It just feels cheap." he murmured quietly, his hand gripping on his arm. Saoto walked up to him, resting his hands on the other's shoulder.

"For power or friendship, it's your decision. You don't need to do it to become stronger. You can do it because you like those people, regardless of their Arcana. So what if you got some kind of magical help of the universe, you can still do it because you want to know the person better." The bluenette looked up at the middle-schooler who looked so much older right now.

"You are pretty smart for a ten-year-old."

"As if I didn't know that already." he looked down to see the up until now ignored Koromaru, whimpering softly. "Looks like Koromaru wants to go for a walk. You want to come with me?" The taller gave him a smile and nodded.

"Of course."

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At the very last, I finally finished this chapter! I know, it's just social links, but I'm probably gonna skip some events to go right to the full moon. I've got the dog of my friend over right now, so I have to go out with him every four hours. Also, I began playing Apollo Justice in English, since the German version is total crap. I hope you liked this chapter.

**Review or a snake will pop out of your book and dance!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	10. Chapter 10: Beginning of Golden Week

Here I am! My cold is going back but now there is snow everywhere on the streets! Plus, it's Christmas soon and I don't have any presents yet! And I have to go into the city with my friends. Ugh, I hate being with humans. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I'm not even legal yet. How am I supposed to own persona 3?

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4/27/2009 Monday Early Morning

The classes sat int the auditorium, waiting for the assembly to be finally over with. It was assigned without any announcement, much to the surprise of the faculty. The chatter of the students filled the room until a teacher stepped onto the podium, announcing the principal. Yukari leaned forward to him, whispering lowly into his and Junpei's ears.

"Just what's up with today's assembly? ...You think it's about the recent incidents?"

"Who cares? The principal doesn't know about the Shadows anyway. I just hope this doesn't take too long..."

"Yeah, his speeches always drag..."

"Today, I want to tell you about, um, my visions for the coming year. As you are aware, strange incidents have been reported on the news lately. It is my firm belief that none of you are involved. However, if we want to better our school, than we all need to accept responsibility for change. Dig deep down inside, and tap into your imaginations...but don't lose touch with reality. As they say, "there's no use crying over spilled milk." That is the key to reaping all the benefits that school has to offer..."

"Wait a minute. Doesn't this awfully remind you of Kirijou-Senpai's speech?" Yukari asked, eyes narrowed in annoyance. Hamuko leaned back into her seat, blowing up her cheeks.

"So just because he got self-esteem issues we have to suffer? That's just bullshit, dude!" Junpei turned his head so fast it looked painful, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Little missy, that's not the way a girl should talk about their teachers!" After she just gave him a huff, he took on a thoughtful expression before nodding. "But I got admit, you're right. I just hope I don't fall asleep." Fortunately, the speech "only" took another thirty minutes before they were able to return to their classrooms. As the lessons carried on, as boring as always, Minato laid his on his arms and closed his eyes. The moment he woke up, it was already lunchtime, the other students happily chatting and eating their bentos. He was about to take out his own lunch (a melon-bread and a pack of milk) as the door slid open, revealing their red-haired Senpai. Mitsuru walked over to his sister who was talking to Yukari about kittens. The heads of the two girls snapped up to her and she began to speak.

"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you after school. I have a special request for you. I apologize for being in a rush, but I don't feel comfortable asking anyone else. I'll tell you more about it after school, okay? Au revoir." And then she was gone again. They looked after her for a few seconds before going back to talking to each other. The bluenette sat there for a minute, thoughtfully nibbling on a piece of bread. Shortly after, the classes continued and the small conversation of the females was forgotten. After the last clock finally ringed, the Kaichou was back again, just in time. "I apologize for making you wait." `She wasn't waiting, she just got done with writing down her notes!´ He thought but of course didn't say out loud. "To make a long story short, I want you to join Student Council. It's not like you'd have to participate in every activity. Just come to the Student Council room when you have time. Being President is very time consuming. I'd like to have additional help available in the event of an emergency. You understand my situation...I'm asking you because you know what it's like to be a leader." The older Arisato titled her head to the side, obviously considering it. After a few minutes of thinking, she smiled brightly and nodded wildly.

"Of course! It would be a pleasure!" The other red-head gave an approving nod.

"I knew I could count on you. I've already made an appointment for you with the faculty adviser. You'll have to go to the Faculty Office on your own. I'm sorry I made the arrangements without your permission, but I hope you understand the position I'm in. Please go to the Faculty Office, Arisato. I'll be waiting for you in the Student Council room." she said and walked out of the room again. Hamuko packed her stuff together before exiting too. The boy also raised from his seat, walking over to Junpei who was trying to somehow fit his science book into his Japanese folder.

"Hey Junpei, you want to hang out today, too?" he asked with a small smile on his face. The taller looked up at him a little surprised but then began to give one of his trademark grins.

"Sure thing! How about we stop by somewhere?" He said and stood up, a few of his pencils falling to the floor. Minato gave a small chuckle as the older just rubbed his neck in embarrassment. Shortly after they picked each one up, they sat in the Chagall Cafe, a shop in Paulownian Mall. Junpei looked around with an excited sparkling in his eyes. "Whoa, so this is how it looks from the inside..." The bluenette fave him a confused look which he immediately understood. "Oh, it's just that it's not the place two guy friends would normally go." The younger titled his head to the side, still not understanding.

"Where do you normally go with other boys?" The older thought for a bit before answering.

"Uh, Karaoke, Wild-Duck burger, the manga cafe..." After some more thinking, he began to grin. "Now that I say it out loud, it sounds way lamer!" He raised his cup, inspecting it for a bit. "But I got to admit, this is some damn good coffee. You can tell the guy who owns this place is really picky about the beans. He probably roasts them all differently using special waters for each type..." the bluenette looked at him being deep in thought before interrupting.

"You seem to know a lot about coffee, Junpei." Said boy grinned even more and rubbed his neck again.

"Heheh.. I just really like coffee. That's all." he took a sip of his drink before turning back to the other. "By the way, what did you order, Minato?" The bluenette looked at his own cup for a minute before responding.

"Hot chocolate." As he heard a suppressed chuckle from the other side of the table, he looked up again, pouting a little. "What's so funny?"

"Dude, that's such a girly drink. Matches your looks." He said with a wide grin on his face. They drank in silence for a few minutes before the taller spoke up again. "Hey, are there any girls that you are interested in right now? If you want, I can totally help you out. It would be fun being your cupid." He laughed for a bit and Minato couldn't help but smile himself. "Oh yeah, what about Kirijou-Senpai? Most of the guys in school are secretly fawning over her. You'd better be careful she doesn't play you!" He thought for a bit again, but then shook his head. "No, there's no way she would do that. She's pretty much a nun." He leaned forward as if he was telling him a big secret. "So how about Yuka-tan? She's not only popular in our grade but also in the upper classes. What do you think? Do you like her?" The younger was a little taken aback by the question but kept a straight face.

"Takeba-san is just a friend to me, I do think she's attractive but I'm not interested in her. As for Kirijou-Senpai, I am not either. To be exact, there's no one I like right now." The baseball-player leaned back into his seat, disappointed.

"Well, too bad. If it changes though, you should try to get them! A transfer student who swoops in and steals away the hearts of the girls everyone wants. That could be right out of a manga!" he laughed loudly, earning the stares of other customers in the Cafe. When he had calmed down, he gave the other a small grin and winked at him. "But seriously, if there's anyone you like, you can come to me and talk about it." he turned back to his coffee and then the world turned gray again.

"_**I am Thou... And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Magician Arcana!"**_

"Shoot! Is it already this late? We should head back now!" Junpei said and quickly drowned his drink down before paying. He then dragged Minato out of the shop, not letting the boy finish his chocolate. "If we are late for supper, Senpai will rip us apart!" They hurried to the dorm but as soon as they arrived, a weird smell overcame them. They stood in front of the enormous doors, already feeling that something was wrong. The two boys gulped but then cautiously opened them. Right away a huge cloud of smoke hit them, almost knocking them down. As the cap-wearing boy coughed wildly, Minato fell to his knees, trying to find the source of all the fume. As he spotted the kitchen, he grabbed the olders wrist and pulled him toward it. Loud cursing could be heard as they got closer to the room and as they entered, their eyes went wide.

"Wah! Just how the hack did it catch fire!" Yukari shouted as she hit the pot on the stove with a towel, failing to extinguish the flames. Hamuko was running around wildly, not really helping her.

"This is just terrible! We have to use water on it!" She shouted and already moved to the sink. The younger twin visibly paled, walked up to her and grabbed her on her waist, stopping her.

"Are you stupid or something! First of all you have to take it down from the stove!" he shouted in despair. After they finally put out the fire and were able to breath normally again, the two boys had the girls sitting in front of them, looking embarrassed at the floor. "So just what made you start a fire inside the dorm?" The brown-haired girl stared at her hands as she knitted her apron in them. A low mumble erupted from her lips and Minato tilted his head to the side. "Excuse me, but could you repeat that?" Her head snapped up to him, a bright blush on her face.

"WE TRIED TO MAKE DINNER!" she cried louder than necessary, making the ears of the others ring. Junpei was the first one to regain his composure, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"So... And then something went wrong and it ended in... this?" he pointed at the pot on the table beside them. The girls looked away, ashamed and the taller just stared at it. "What was this anyway?" Hamuko sweat-dropped and sighed.

"Mushroom-soup." Minato gave a surprised look which soon turned to unbelieving.

"Soup? Just how did you manage to make it burn?" He quickly shook his head. "Why did you want to make dinner anyway? Is there something to celebrate?" The girls visibly flinched but then the red-head raised form her seat and dragged Yukari off.

"None of your business, Blueberry!" she yelled and then was gone in the upper floors. The two looked after them for a second before they moved to the still demolished kitchen.

"Looks like it's up to us to clean the mess they made." Minato walked up to the burned stove and let out a long breath. "Damn, look at the stove! Just how did they do that?" He grabbed the towel Yukari held before and began to shrub.

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The last few days went pretty smoothly. Minato had spent some of them with hanging out with Junpei, learning that his father was a drunk, he was really happy to move into the dorm and that someone had been taking photos of the younger in his gym uniform and sold them to some creepy stalkers of his. He spent Showa day with Saoto and asked him about it, but the boy said he had nothing to do with it. While they were talking on another day, he found out that Kage was killed during a Demon summoning ceremony and that his family has been split since then. His classmate gave him an Online game and the internet line was fixed, but he wasn't really the type of guy who could spent the whole day inside. They had also been in Tartarus for a few times but didn't really get any further than they already were. It was now the first of may and the bluenette was sitting in his class, just about to go as his cap-wearing dorm mate walked up to him.

"FYI, Sanada-Senpai is at the hospital for a check-up. He called me earlier and asked me to bring him something. Yup he knows who to count on!" Junpei grinned widely but it was soon broken when Yukari and Hamuko walked up to them.

"He just asked you because he knows you don't have to do anything else after school." The taller stepped back a little, his eyes wide.

"H-Hey, I resent that!"

"Don't worry, she's just kidding! So, what did he want you to bring?" The red-haired girl interrupted, a bright smile on her face.

"The class roster from 2-E."

"I wonder what he needs that for. Anyway, we don't have practice today, so I think we can come along." The pink-clad girl turned to the younger of the twins. "You are coming too, right, Arisato-kun?" He thought about it for a second before nodding. Shortly after, they were in Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, searching for Akihiko's room. When they finally found the right number, an unusual sight greeted them. A gruff looking guy sat on the bed instead of their Senpai, clad in a red double-breasted jacket and a beanie on his head. The juniors stood there frozen for a minute before the baseball-player took the word.

"...Um... is … Sanada-Senpai..?" He stared at the taller for a moment. "..in this room? ...By any chance?" Just as he finished his sentence, said senior walked into the room, his jacket casually thrown over his shoulder.

"Why are all of you guys here?" The silverette asked with a smirk on his face. Hamuko enthusiastic, throwing him one of her most winning smiles.

"We are here to see you, Senpai!" Akihiko smiled back a little, shaking his head.

"I'm just here for a check-up." he said, musingly. The stranger stood up from the bed, giving a small grunt.

"Is that all, Aki?"

"Yeah, thanks." The taller grunted again, waling toward the door.

"I don't have time for this shit." He was almost out when he noticed Minato. He walked back to the short boy, latter giving him a confused look. "You..." he stopped and the bluenette just blinked. "Never mind." He quickly exited the room, leaving the Gekkoukan students alone in the room. Junpei looked after the man for a bit before talking again.

"W-Who was that?" He asked, eyes wide. The boxer scratched the back of his head, sighing.

"A friend of school. ...Sort of." He turned back to the juniors, giving them a serious face. "You know how the number of Apathy Syndrome cases has been increasing? Well, he knows a few people who are suffering from it, so I was asking him about it. Hey Junpei, did you bring what I asked?" A wide grin made itself on said boys face home as he pulled out the piece of paper.

"Of course, Senpai."

"Sorry for the trouble." Akihiko said as he took it form the younger. "Well, let's get going." Minato looked horrified before he moved over to the taller, softly taking his hurt arm.

"Y-You shouldn't move your arm too much." he softly whispered. The older was startled for a bit but then a smile overcame him and he patted the underclassman with his other hand.

"It's nothing. I wasted enough time already, I need to get back to my training." he ruffled the shorter's hair for a bit more but stopped when he heard a loud whoop from the other boy in the room.

"Well, that's Gekkoukan's golden boy! He was born to be in the ring!" The others just sweat-dropped.

"Sometimes I just don't get you." Yukari walked up to the Senpai, gaining his attention.

"By the way, why boxing?"

"You mean why I chose that sport? Well...it's not the sport itself I like. I just wanted to learn how to fight. I know what it's like to feel powerless...and I don't want to feel that way again. Besides, I'm curious to see how strong I can get. It's like a game, only I'm competing against myself." Junpei began to grin from ear to ear for some reason, triumphant rays shining from it.

"That's an interesting way of looking at it. You know, I like games, too..." The brown-haired girl sighed, annoyed.

"Yeah, VIDEO games!"

"Oh, but I like fighting games, too!" After they ended this odd conversation, the students went back to the dorm. Mitsuru was already waiting for them there, reading one of her books. She turned to their leader, a serious expression on her face.

"Golden week is coming up. Since we have nothing else to do, we should go to Tartarus. It might take some time for Akihiko to fully recover and I don't want anything like that to happen again. Besides, the cases of Apathy Syndrome are on the rise again... I have a bad feeling about that. We had best mustered as much strength as we can." Hamuko nodded at her and walked up to her room. The others soon did the same and soon sleep reigned over the dorm.

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"Tomorrow is Golden Week, right? I wonder what I should do..." Saoto touched his lips with his fingertip, thinking a bit. Shortly after he turned to junior beside him. "But when they are over, we have to write exams. Although they are not too hard, they are annoying as hell. Anyway, do you have any plans for the long weekend?" Minato thought for a second himself before looking up to the younger.

"Not really. I thought about getting new equipment and a few items for Tartarus. If you don't have any healing powers, you're pretty much screwed without them." The black-haired boy leaned back into the bench, humming a short song before speaking up again.

"But you got some now, right? You told me last time that Orpheus learned Dia and some other support skills. Plus, you've got your demons, so it should be no problem." He heard a shifting beside him, making him look up again. "Hey, what's wrong? You seem uneasy today." The bluenette bit his lip, his eyes narrowed.

"It's just.. that I have no idea if I should use my demons. Sure, they are friendly and all, but why do I have this powers? I never heard of it before I came here and didn't have any special abilities. So why?" A long pause set in, making the older uncomfortable. A few minutes of silence reigned over them and just as he thought the shorter fell asleep, latter spoke up again.

"I've been wondering about that, too." The high schooler turned to the brown-eyed boy who was staring at the sky right now. "I've been wondering about it since I heard Kage had a human friend. She was a very reserved person, so she wouldn't really talk to people outside of the clan. Not only that, she even stalked you. Then there are demons practically swarming around you. I don't sense any summoner blood inside you and even if I just don't notice it, they would have gone after you a lot sooner. I don't know, I think it's just some kind of feeling around you. It draws darkness to you but it doesn't let you be devoured by it. How should I say, it's like you are the moon in the endless night." He turned to Minato, a soft smile on his lips. "It does apply for me, too. You are also like a moon to me."

"_**I am Thou... And thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hanged Man Arcana!"**_

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"Hi, how have you been?" Minato slowly opened his eyes, spotting the same small child on his bed as last time. The blue-eyes kid chuckled as if it were totally normal for him to be there. "One week from now, there will be a full moon... Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you. You will enocunter one of THEM. You must prepare for the ordeal, but time is of the essence...I'm sure you're aware of that, of course. I'll come see you again when it's over. Goodbye for now." And then he was gone again.

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So, chapter done! By the way, I posted a short snippet on my blog today. It's the idea of a new story, but I don't want to start it because I'm writing on this. I will write on it when I get the time or ideas or get stuck here. I hope you check it out!

**Review or a dog will eat your homework and no one will believe he did!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	11. Chapter 11: Souji and on the Monorail

My cold has gone down a bit, so I should be able to return to my normal patterns. I just came back from a birthday party of a friend of mine and damn am I tired right now. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own a little fat hamster, but not the Persona series.

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5/3/2009 Sunday Daytime

Minato walked through the streets of Port Island, not really knowing what to do. Saoto was busy at the shrine and Junpei has locked himself up in his room (probably playing some kind of game). He couldn't go to Tartarus while the sun was out and he had bought all the equipment he needed. He dazedly walked around Paulownian mall, not really noticing his surroundings, until he suddenly lay on the floor. The small pain in his chest told him he must have been bumped into and he shook his head a bit, trying to get the stars out of his vision. When he could see clearly again, he saw a boy standing above him, an apathetic expression on his face. He had silver hair that was trimmed neatly in a bowl cut and eyes that matched that color. Said child stretched his hand out to him, offering help. The bluenette hesitantly took it, pulling himself up. When he was on his feet again, he noticed the kid was barely shorter than him. He wore a black jacket with a white turtle neck shirt under it. He looked barely fourteen, if not even younger. He snapped out of his train of thoughts when he noticed the other speak.

"I'm sorry that I bumped into you. I have to go now." He said and slowly moved past the taller. The junior looked after the boy for a bit before walking to Chagall Cafe. He anted to try out this pheromone coffee anyway, although he always got a stomach ache whenever he drank that brown liquid.

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He dragged himself out of the pharmacy, clutching his tummy. He knew he should have known better then let his curiosity get the better out of him and risk his health. The boy quickly swallowed the pills together with a bottle of water he had bought. Just as the effect of the medicine set in, he walked up to the station. The sun was about to set and he knew if he came home late again, he wouldn't get any dinner. Maybe he should buy something in advantage on his way back... He was just up the steps when he heard a loud voice beside the stairs. He looked over the railing only to see three older guy's from his school surrounding the boy he met before. The kid made no attempt to move as one of the seniors grabbed him on his collar.

"Ya hear me? Give me all the money you have!" The silverette said nothing, making the taller grunt. "Acting all high and mighty, or what? You are definitely one of those kids out of fancy families! I hate people like you! Thinking they are so much better than us!" As he moved his arm back to hit the younger, Minato couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey! What are you doing!" he shouted, jumping over the railing. The boy had baffled expression for a second (probably the first emotion he had seen on his face) while the bully let go of him. He landed gracefully in front of them, dusting himself off. He moved over to the child, standing in front of him. "Just leave him alone, alright? Don't you have better things to do than bullying random kids on the streets?" the older was startled for a moment before grunting like a pig.

"What are ya'? His buddy or what! You are probably also one of those glamorous family members, huh! Come 'ere!" the thug tried to tried to strike the bluenette into the face but latter swiftly dodged and moved to a counter attack. He raised his fist, aiming right at the other's stomach. He hit right on the spot, making his Senpai collapse. The other two backed away, looking at their leader, horrified. The junior laid the young man down on the floor, gesturing for the other to get onto him. The senior immediately paled, grabbing their gang leader and ran away. He slowly lowered his hands, turning around to the younger kid. His face hasn't changed much, only a hint of surprise to be seen. He noticed a spot of dirt on the shorter's cheek, handing him a handkerchief.

"Here, let's go somewhere else. The people begin to stare at us." Minato said, grabbing the smaller wrist, pulling him toward the platforms. Once they were up, he seated the boy into one of the many benches there. He sat down beside him, inspecting him. After he was sure there was nothing wrong with the younger, he leaned back, sighing in relief. "Thank goodness that nothing happened to you! You shouldn't be out this late, there are some really nasty people walking around at night. You were lucky they only wanted your money. They could have done much worse to you than just that bit of dirt." The other raised a pair of silver eyes at him, almost a look of question in them.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked softly. The older tilted his head to the side. "No one would do something like this for nothing, right? So, what do you want from me?"

"Why? Do I have to want something from you to help?" he countered, making the silverette flinch a little. He sighed once again, this time in exhaustion. "You are not good with people, huh? Well, that's something where we are the same." The shorter this time gave him an openly confused look this time but he just shrugged it off. "It's mostly because I had to move so much the last few years. I wasn't able to make a healthy friendship because I was pushed from one relative to the other. Anyway, you should head home now or your parents will worry. Come on, I will bring you to your house." He lifted himself from his seat but was stopped when he felt a hand gripping on his wrist. He looked down only to see the younger having a small blush on his face, not letting go.

"M-my parents don't mind me being out late... Could we go somewhere together?" He asked in a stuttering voice. The bluenette thought for a minute before responding. If he went out with this kid now, he would be late for dinner. But if he went home now, he would feel like an ass for leaving him on his own. He sighed, nodding and pulling the child toward the monorail. Once they arrived at the strip mall, he pulled him to the Takoyaki stand. He ordered them two packages and they sat down on the bench beside the shop, watching the sun slowly setting. The smaller's eyes widened as he tasted the first ball. "Wow... This tastes amazing. Is there really no octopus in this?" He mumbled under his breath, making the other smile. He himself has been like this when he ate here the first time. He couldn't remember much of his childhood, but it certainly was one of the happier moments. After they finished their meals, they sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the silence. After some time, the shorter spoke up again. "Um, thank you for saving me today... It was the first time someone ever did something like this for me." he stopped, probably thinking about what to say next. "M-my name is Souji, Souji Seta. What is your name?"

"Minato Arisato. May I ask you why you want to know all this? I mean, we just met." He asked, trying to be as polite as possible, but not too formal. Souji bit his lip nervously, trying to get his brain to work.

"W-Well, today you told me you had to move a lot. To tell the truth, I just transferred here from Kyoto and don't have any friends yet. It's just that I felt some kind of sympathy with you. Although I'm living with my parents, they always change carriers, so we have to move several times a year. I just thought you could understand how I feel..." he looked up at the older, a apologetic look on his face. "You don't have to hang out with me if you don't want to. A junior has probably better things to do then playing with a middle schooler." Minato gave him a soft smile, ruffling the youngers hair just like Akihiko always did to him. It was surprisingly soft.

"It's no problem. I would be happy to hang out with you."

"_**I am Thou... Thou art I...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Temperance Arcana!"**_

A card split in four quarters floated down to him, making itself comfortable on his palm. The world turned back to normal again and he removed his hand from the others head. "So since we are friends now, may I call you Souji-kun? It would be pretty weird if I call someone younger then me by his last name." He thought for a moment before speaking again. "By the way, how old are you?" The silverette blinked, not really grasping what he needed his age for.

"Of course you can call me that. As for my age, I'm fourteen, turning fifteen this year." The boy was silent for a moment before continuing. "Can I call you Minato-san?" The bluenette raised from his seat again, offering the middle-schooler a hand.

"Sure, why not? But now seriously, we have to get you home. Tell me where it is and I bring you there." After he walked Souji home, he went back to the dorm, only to get an earful from Yukari about coming back late.

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5/9/2009 Saturday Evening

Minato fell onto his bed, still in his school uniform. He had spent the whole golden week working on his social links, leveling them up and getting closer to the people. He was on the hunt with Junpei after the culprit of the gym-photos and talked about their futures another day. He even got Saoto to talk about how his family treated their summoners (They almost pushed them to the edge with their training) and that Kouji is his older brother who was in High school now and had no summoning powers. He had even spent some time with Souji, talking about his parents and school, but nothing that brought them really closer to each other. He had wanted to hang out with the silverette today, too, but there was this odd feeling in his gut, like something important was going to happen today. He had left early and locked himself up in his room, trying to figure out what that all meant. He looked out of his window, seeing the moon dimly shining in the sky, not really there yet. It would be a full moon tonight. He turned to his side, facing the wall. He thought about this kid that sometimes showed up in his room. He had warned him about that specific day. His stomach began to knot and one of his hand desperately clawed at it, trying to make the pain go away. He rolled over again, looking at the small clock on his night stand. 18:30. His glace wandered to his desk, where books were scattered. He had already done his homework of the day and tomorrow was Sunday, so nothing to do, really. The boy closed his eyes, hoping that no one would get hurt today.

When he woke up again, all he heard were loud sirens. He sat up in his bed, frantically looking around. All electronics in his room were turned off and and his room was bathed in a green shine. The Dark hour was here. He jumped to his feet, swiftly running out into the hall. He hurried up the stairs, trying his best not to trip. Inside the command room, the others were already waiting for him, worry visible in their eyes. Mitsuru took a good look at him, before smirking.

"Had a good night's sleep, Arisato-Outoto?" He raised his hand to his hair, trying to get it less fuzzy. After he was done, her expression turned serious again. "Anyway, we found a Shadow outside of Tartarus. We don't know for sure but we assume it's another big one. We have to defeat and that as soon as possible. Although most people are not aware of the Dark Hour, it would be a disaster if half of the city were to be destroyed. That must be avoided at all cost." Junpei began to grin like a maniac, throwing his fists into the air.

"In other words, we need to kick some ass! Well, count me in!" Their Senpai turned to Akihiko, who stood beside her.

"Akihiko, you stay here and wait for the chairman."

"What are you talking about? I'm going!"

"Recovering should be your first priority. You'll just be a hindrance. They'll fare better than you, in your current state. Have faith in them, Akihiko...they're ready. You'll get your chance, but for now, wait for the Chairman." The silverette just lowered his head in defeat, not saying an another word.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered!" The black-haired junior cried, almost dripping with self-confidence. The boxer looked up at them, grimacing a bit.

"Looks like I've got no choice." He walked over to Hamuko, patting her on the shoulder. "Arisato, you're in charge." The girl's eyes widened in surprise, while the baseball-player looked pretty disappointed.

"Her again? Looks like it's pretty much decided that you're our leader. Although I'm the strongest guy in the group."

"Whether one is a man or a woman doesn't factor into it. The responsibility falls to those who have the gift." The council president said bluntly, but you could still hear the anger out of it. "And let me add, if you ever say or do anything to condescend to her just because she is a woman..." The younger shook his head wildly, trying to calm her down.

"Oh, no, no no no! It's not like I look down to her or anything..." Before he could say anything wrong again, Akihiko stepped into the conversation again.

"You three should hurry and go on ahead. Mitsuru, you need to prepare, too, right?"

"Indeed. Let's rendezvous in front of the station." They all gave her determinate nods, got their weapons and headed toward the place. Once there, the teens had nothing to do so they just sat down onto the steps. Yukari was tapping her foot impatiently, Junpei took out a drink he brought with him, Minato inspected his sword and Hamuko just sat there, not letting an emotion showing on her face. After some time, the archer raised from her seat, trying to spot their upperclassman.

"Sheesh, where is she?" The girl looked up at the sky, her face turning disgusted. "It's a full moon tonight. It looks even creepier in the Dark Hour." Just after she said that, motor noises could be heard, making the other juniors look up, too. A motorcycle rounded the corner, stopping right in front of them with a loud squeak. The driver took off their helmet, revealing dark red hair. Their Senpai smirked at them, looking a bit exhausted.

"Sorry for keeping you wait. I'll be backing you up from here. The signal of the Shadow is coming from a monorail not far from the station. To reach it, I have you to walk on the tracks." The bluenette narrowed his eyes, not sure what to think of it.

"Walking on the tracks? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Like you all might know, all electronic tools stop working during the Dark Hour. That also includes the monorails." He threw the bike a questioning look. "It's special. Besides that, I'll be keeping you updated if the situation changes." Shortly after, they were standing beside the train, looking up the foothold. After Mitsuru confirmed that the Shadow is inside there, they climbed up, the girls unnecessarily complaining about them looking for her panties. When they got inside, the first thing they spotted were the coffins standing around. Junpei walked up to one of them, staring at it.

"Looks like all the passengers were transmogged. So they don't remember anything? It's probably better this way." He looked around for a bit, raising his eyebrows. "Don't you think it's odd? We are not at a station but the doors are wide-" Just as he said that, the doors slammed shut, trapping them inside. The baseball-player ran toward one of them, trying to rip them apart, without much success. "Damn it! They won't budge!" A static noise echoed in the silent train compartment, catching their attention.

"_What's wrong? Did something happen?" _Their Senpai asked through the communicator. Yukari grabbed hers, immediately answering.

"We've been trapped inside the monorail."

"_It must be the doing of the Shadow. It must be aware of your presence. We don't know what might happen next, so proceed with extreme caution." _Right on cue, one of those creatures appeared in front of them but it retreated right after that. Junpei was about to follow it, but their back-up stopped him. _"Wait! The enemy is acting strange. I've got a bad feeling about this."_

"But if we don't get after it, we'll lose it!"

"_Arisato, you're in command there. What do you think?" _

"Senpai is right. It's way to dangerous to follow after it blindly." She answered without hesitation. The black-haired boy turned around, his face furious.

"Fine, I'll go by myself! You guys just stay here and watch me beat it all by myself!" And with that he ran away from them. Minato looked after him horrified, hurrying after the older.

"Wait, Junpei! It's dangerous to just go all alone!" He ignored the cries of protest of the girls and just followed. He caught up to the fire-user a few compartments ahead of the one they were before. He grabbed the baseball-player on his shoulder turning him around. "Are you stupid or something? They could be who knows what inside here and you just go by yourself! You could get yourself killed!" he snarled in anger. The other just did the same in return.

"Oh, you just shut up! I'm not like you, a small submissive pawn to your big sis! I am my own man and I do what I want to!" The shorter narrowed his eyes and the next moment Junpei was lying on the floor, a fast building bruise on his cheek.

"There's a difference between being independent and being foolish. If you want to do your own thing, that's fine with me, but if you risk the others and your own life while doing so, then I won't be able to promise that your punishment for next time won't end with you in the hospital." he responded, eyes like shields of ice. The boy on the floor gasped before giving a small chuckle.

"Man, you got a split personality or what?" When he was done, he picked himself up, grinning at the younger. "But I get what you mean. Fine, I'll try not to act like a little kid anymore." They were about to move back to meet up with the girls when three Shadows popped into their way. The two of them reached for their swords. "Damn it! Looks like they were able to close in on us while we were talking!" They rushed onto the enemy, successfully slashing two of them into black fog. The last of them tried to cast a Bufu spell on them but Minato was faster, calling forth Orpheus.

"Come on! Agi!" He shouted, his Persona doing as ordered. After they were done, the boys heard footsteps coming from the cars in the back. They turned around, expecting Shadows, but were only greeted with their teammates who had angry faces. Yukari ran right up to them, giving them both a hard smack on the back of their heads.

"There you are! Sheesh, don't run off like that ever again! I was so worried!" She shouted at them, out of breath. "..So, are you alright?" Junpei just waved his hand, not looking really interested in what she said.

"Yeah, we are fine. We were doing just fine." he looked over at the bluenette who was having his usual passive expression on again. "I was lucky Minato got to me before the enemy did. If he didn't I would probably had been screwed." The pink-clad girl looked between the two of them, not really getting what was going on.

"_Be careful, you four!" _Mitsuru interrupted. _"I don't detect any movements, but stay alert!" _Just after she said that, a large jolt went through the train, making them all look around.

"What the? Why are we moving?"

"_It seems the monorail is under the enemy's control." _The younger twin rolled his eyes. What does she mean, `It seems´? Just in that moment, the vehicle gained speed. _"If we don't stop that thing, it will crash into another train!" _Yukari immediately panicked.

"What! Oh my gosh, what are we gonna do?"

"_Calm down and listen. I feel a strong presence in the front car. You will have to defeat it to stop it." _New enemies appeared again and the teens grabbed after their Evokers.

"Just what kind of messed-up ride is this?" Junpei shouted, raising his sword.

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Yeah, half of it were Social link crap and yeah, my fight writing style hasn't gotten any better. I still hope that you liked this chapter too. I sacrificed my whole evening into doing this, so you better be grateful! By the way, most of you should know who is Souji, right? He's the protagonist of Persona 4. Why i brought him in? It's because i made a list of the social links I'm planning and figured that they are pretty little of them. i won't put most of the girls social links inside, only keeping Aigis and a new one with Hamuko.

**Review or... I don't have any threats anymore, but I still do!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	12. Chapter 12: First Full Moon and Friends

Back again! Sorry for the delay of the chapter, my hamster just died and it seems to affect my writing skills. I'm also happy about all the reviews! I hope you keep enjoying the chapters!

Disclaimer: I don't own persona!

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"Hiya!" Hamuko swung her naginata at the Shadow, successfully slashing one of it's legs off. The creature shrieked loudly, almost making her ears burst. It turned around, throwing a fire ball at the girl that was countered by Eurydice and her lyre. The Persona gave out a sharp cry, summon a block of ice that flew at the enemy, knocking it down. It only took another powerful strike of her weapon to turn it into black mist. She looked over at her team-mates who were also done with their foes. She gave them all a satisfied nod. "Alright. The next car should be the front one. Get ready for combat." The others nodded back at her and they opened the door. What they saw was not what they expected.

"What the hell? Is this the frickin' boss?" Junpei exclaimed as he stared at the Shadow in front of them. It had the form a beautiful young women with a red butterfly mask, one side of her body colored in black the other in white. It's hair was looking like scrolls of paper, occupying almost half of the whole compartment. But that wasn't what caught the teens' eyes. It was the fact that it was sitting there, legs spread wide and only a piece of cloth covering its lower body and part of its legs. Minato could already feel the heat crawl up his neck but he tried his best to suppress the blush.

"_This is the source of the power. It is not like anything we've encountered up until now, so be cautious."_ he heard Mitsuru say just as a Bufu attack barely missed him. The bluenette raised Aoi Chou, ready to rush at the enemy. He looked over at his sister. When she gave him a nod, he began to ran. He raised his Evoker to his head and was about to pull the trigger when a ghost-like Shadow appeared in front of him. It tried to tackle into him but he swiftly dodged by jumping back a few meters. He looked around, spotting an exact replica of the one that attacked him floating in front of his sister. _"It got reinforcements? How annoying." _Hamuko clicked her tongue, raising her own weapon.

"Senpai! We need a analysis of the big one! Now!" She shouted, dashing onto the enemy herself. One of the smaller ones threw itself at her but she was faster and pointed her fake gun at her head. "Persona!" The golden creature emerged in front of her, raising her instrument. A block of ice flew at the enemy, immediately destroying it. She turned to the other one, repeating the procedure. A smirk entered her face and she turned to the two-colored one. She ordered Eurydice to do the same as before and a wave of pain hit her brother. He snapped his eyes open and ran toward her.

"No!" He pushed her out of the way, evading the reflected ice. A static crackle could be heard and their upperclassman spoke up again.

"_Be careful! Ice, Darkness and Light won't work on it!" _Just as she said that, a new Shadow appeared, trying to hit them with an Agi attack. The bluenette summoned Orpheus making him counter the ball with his lyre. He stoop up from the ground and raised his sword again, dashing onto the enemy. He dodged the small one, running right up to the female, his Persona following him. He nodded at his other self, making him throw a fire spell at the creature. It gave a loud shriek but kept its composure. Hamuko clicked her tongue, her head snapping to Junpei and Yukari who still stood frozen at the door.

"What are you doing? Help him out, damn it!" The two teens nodded, rushing into the fight. The red-head picked herself up from the floor and began to run, too. Minato observed her from the corner of his eyes but was snapped out of it as a gigantic hand tried to grab him. He evaded it, and slashed it with his blade. On the other side of the car, his sister did the same with her naginata. Yukari threw Garu attacks at the enemy, trying to make as much damage as possible. Junpei's Hermes was flying around, continuously hitting and slashing the Shadow. One particular hit it square on the face, making it cry and fall to the ground.

"Alright! One more!" The baseball player shouted, victoriously and his other self threw a fire ball at the Shadow. It cried yet again, desperately trying to get up. Their healer raised her bow and shot an arrow at the creature, making it dissolve. "Alright, we won!" He looked out of the window, his smile fading from his lips. "Hey, why're we still moving!"

"We're going too fast! We have to put on the brakes, or else...!"

"_What are you waiting for? There's a train up ahead!"_

"Damn it! I don't know how to stop this thing!" Panic raced through all og them until Hamuko gave a confident nod.

"Leave it to me!" She shouted, running up into the control room. Minato ran up to one of the windows, looking out for the other train. It was only a few more meters ahead of them and he snapped his eyes shut, only hearing a squeaking noise and feeling a hard pull.

"Kyaaaah!" He opened them again to notice that he was lying on the floor, totally uninjured except the ones he had from the battles. He picked himself up, his knees still like mush. He looked over at the other who did the same.

"D-Did we stop..?" Junpei asked in a shaking voice. Yukari was in the same state, barely able to keep herself up.

"I think so..."

"_Is everybody alright?" _Mitsuru asked through the communicator that lay on the floor. The bluenette walked up to it and picked it up.

"Yeah, we are alright, Senpai. No one is severely hurt. Just a little shaken." he responded, his voice oddly calm. He heard a relieved sigh at the other end of the line.

"What cha mean a little? I'm like drenched in sweat!" He heard his classmate shout but it went unnoticed. His sister walked out of the small room ahead of them and just stood there for a moment. "Hey, Hamu-chi, you alright?" She flipped her hair, grinning from ear to ear.

"It was a breeze!" she said, earning a confused look from the others

"Seriously? Dude, sometimes I wonder who really is the guy in your family."

"_I'm glad you're alright. I'm sorry I couldn't help more on my end. Anyway, I don't detect any more Shadows. You did a great job, so come on home."_The connection cut off and Yukari turned back to their leader.

"But how did you know which one was the brake?" The other girl gave her a smile and raised her index finger.

"Women intuition."

"I don't think this is the kind of thing woman's intuition helps with..."

"Whatever. You guys want to grab something to eat? I'm starvin'!" Junpei said, exhausted. The archer just gave him a look.

"I'm sorry to break it to you , Junpei, but girls don't usually get hungry in the middle of the night." She thought for a bit and then smiled a little. "But I'm sure Arisato-kun is hungry, too, so we can stop by a corner store, maybe." They all moved over to the door, but Minato stopped as the world turned gray again.

"_**I am Thou... Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Fool Arcana!"**_

"Oh, by the way, Arisato-kun?" His head snapped back to his pink-clad classmate. "Can I call you by your first name from now on? I call everyone else like that, too, so it would be odd if I do it with you differently. Y-You can call me Yukari if you want, too." She said, a tint of pink on her cheeks. He looked up at the others. Junpei was sighing and shaking his head and Hamuko was glaring at them for some reason. He gulped but nodded.

"Alright, that's fine with me." Her face visibly brightened and she blushed even more.

"Alright! Then let's go Minato-kun!" She almost cried and dragged him out of the train. He looked at the sky, confused that he hadn't made a Social Link.

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"Akihiko here."

"_This is Mitsuru. We've successfully completed the operation. The monorail didn't sustain any noticeable damage." _Ikutsuki walked up to the monitor, taking the second micro.

"Thank you, Mitsuru. When I heard they hijacked a monorail, I feared the worse. Well done. Now I don't have to worry about tomorrow's headlines."

"_The team did a great job. They are learning quickly."_

"But what are the Shadows up to? Taking over a monorail... this is getting out of hand!"

"I will look into the matter."

"_Does this mean... it has begun?"_

"Hm. Let's not jump to any conclusions. For now, we should study their behavior for any patterns or clues. We cannot afford to always wait for them to make the first move."

"_If I had more power, things wouldn't be so difficult for the others."_

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing fine. More importantly..." He turned to the silverette beside him. "Do you have anything to drink, Akihiko?"

"Hm? What are you looking so tired for, Ikutsuki-san?" He thought for a moment before his eyes widened. "Wait, don't tell me that the bicycle out there is yours!" The chairman fell over, holding himself up on his knees.

"Boy, am I gonna be sore tomorrow!"

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10/5/2009 Sunday Octopia

"Huh, and you didn't make a social link with her?" Saoto asked as he munched on his Takoyaki. After the two of them had cleaned the shrine, they had decided to eat out for a change. Minato had told him about the fight yesterday and his talk with Yukari. The young boy tilted his head and looked into the distant, stuffing another of the octopus balls into his mouth. "Well, I think a social link has to be wanted from both sides. You don't seem to want it from the bottom of your heart."

"But I do want to spend time with her. I mean she's a great girl and I really want to be friends with her." he tried to explain. The other just gave him glace from the corner of his eye and sighed.

"Obviously you don't want to be with her the same way she does." When he only received a confused look, he smacked his hand on his forehead. "Jeez, you are even denser then I had thought! That's it! I won't explain it to you! Never thought that someone older than me could not understand it." he huffed, leaning back into the fence behind them. He wore a white bottom up shirt with a blue tie around his neck. His black jeans were way to wide for him and almost fell down from his hips if it weren't for his belt. Minato eyed him for a moment before speaking.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" The black-head turned his eyes to him, seemingly approving. "Why do you wear those clothes? Isn't there some kind of rule that you are not allowed to wear anything else than the traditional gown? And why are you even in Iwatodai? I mean, Kage once told me that her man family are not allowed to go outside of Tokyo." he stopped talking when he noticed the smaller had continuously shrunk back, almost looking like a hurt animal.

"That's right, I never told you. I left the clan." His eyes widened in shock. "It's not that bad. I can finally do the stuff I want. I don't have to listen to my instructor anymore, I can go to bed the time I want, don't have to summon any dangerous demons that could kill me any time and don't have to live with seven other children in one room. I'm fine."

"But aren't you lonely? You just transferred here, right? You are always at the shrine, so I think you don't have any friends yet. Plus, your brother lives there, right? Don't you want to see him again?" The ten-year old sunk back even more but then straightened his composure, giving the older a small exhausted smile.

"I was when I got here but now I've got you with me, Minato-niisan. If your are by my side, I don't need anyone else."

"_**I am Thou... Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hanged Man Arcana!"**_

"Besides." He looked at his feet, his hands clenching at the wood of the bench. "I don't want to have anything to do with that pack of bastards anymore. Even if it means not being with my brother anymore." The bitterness in his voice was very apparent but Minato knew better then ask what he meant with that. After they were done eating, he returned to the dorm, going to bed early.

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"Minato-kun!" he looked up from his bag into the smiling face of Yukari. "Did you hear the news already? There are fewer cases of Apathy Syndrome! Senpai said it's probably because we beat the big Shadow." She looked at her feet and then back up with a small blush on her face. "Do you want to go somewhere with me after school? I don't have practice." He was about to answer her as a flash of red flew in front of them, grabbing onto the pink-clad girl.

"Yukari-cha~~~n!" Hamuko sang as she rubbed her cheek into the slightly shorter girl's hair. "Do you want to go shopping with me today? There is this totally cute dress I want to show you! We could also go to the movies!" The archer looked uncertain, her gaze shifting from one of the twins to the other. The bluenette just sighed, waving his hands dismissively.

"It's alright, Yukari-san. You can go with Aneki. Maybe we can hang out another time?" She gave him a shaky nod before walking off with his sister. Shortly after, Junpei stood in front of his desk, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Yo, Minato. Can you come with me for a moment? It's very important." The boy had expected something with hitting on girls but oddly enough he found himself in the school library, the baseball player beside him, trying to figure out his math homework. "Sorry, dude. I just can't figure this out by myself." He said, rubbing the back of his head. The shorter couldn't help but smile.

"You can ask me anything you want to." The grin on the other teens face widened.

"Awesome! I don't even know what I don't know anymore! I've been avoiding math since I got here. All this 'vector' and 'trigonometric ratio' sounds like magic to me..." he sighed and the younger chuckled.

"Funny that your Persona is Hermes, the god of inventions and math."

"Alright, I'm gonna do this today! I'm gonna overcome my fear of math! Just you watch me get through this!" he thought for a moment and added, "..And help me out once in a while! So the circle inside triangle ABC where AB equals AC is..." He just stared at the equation for a few seconds, not getting what to do. They sat there for about an hour, Junpei clutching his head and Minato trying to help him as much as he can. After they finally finished the last problem, the taller leaned back in his chair, his arms thrown over his head. "Woohoo! I did it! I got through all of it! I've finally unleashed my true potential! You're my witness!" The bluenette smiled at him but then the others face seemed to darken. "I was... thinking about trying really hard for once. I always thought that stuff like math would never help me in the future. But I noticed that it might be important, even if you never use it. It's like... how do I put it... What matters is how you put your time to use. I don't think I can start lecturing you about how to live your live or anything. I mean, there's nothing wrong with just doing what is feeling right in the moment. But in the end, it doesn't satisfy me, and it bothers me even more. Yeah... I think I just got anxiety or something." He was silent again for a few moments but then spoke again. "But I think I figured it out recently. I haven't found anything yet but I'm sure that I will, someday... As long as I'm with you and everyone else. I guess... f-friends are important, after all..." Minato's eyes widened but then he smiled softly at him.

"Never thought you could be such a softy. But I understand what you mean." The baseball player seemed surprised but kept on smiling.

"Seriously? I totally thought you were gonna laugh at me or something... since it's not something a guy says to another guy... Although you are not that strong, you always seem to do your best. In Tartarus, in your free time and in school... You try your best to not be a burden but also to help as much as you can, I think it's amazing. You could even be the leader if you wanted to considering on how you almost beat me to a bulp that time on the monorail. Also got many talents. Heard you can play the guitar and sing. And don't even dare try to deny it, I heard you singing in your room. You made me want to try my best, too." Minato felt his face heat up a bit but he managed to slightly cool it down as the world turned colorless again.

"_**I am Thou... Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Magician Arcana!"**_

"Flattery won't bring you anywhere." the bluenette said in a small voice, his face still tinted a little pink. Junpei gave him a small laugh.

"Well, it's the truth. So..." He stopped talking and stared at some point behind the shorters back. "Hey, this guy over there... is he a friend of yours? Huh? He just hid..." He swiftly turned around, but did not spot anyone behind him. "He was looking your way. It looked like he was holding something..." Something in his mind seemed to click and the taller jumped to his feet. "A camera! Alright, you stay here! I'm going after him!" he looked at the spot where the boy stood seconds ago and his shoulders sank. "Damn, he got away. Well, I've seen his face, so it's okay. Just leave him to me." Minato shuddered for a second, disgusted.

"Yeah, just what I need. Another creepy, photo-making stalker and a boy to the boot." He looked up to the other, determination on his face. "Be sure to call me when you find him. I'll show him what happens if you pick a fight with one of the Arisato twins!" he said seriously but he was just patted on the head.

"Whoa there, princy-boy. Violence isn't always the answer. Anyway, let's go home. Sorry for keeping you here so late. Try not to go home by yourself from now on, okay?" After the bluenette loudly declared that he was not a kid nor a girl, they went home together. Understanding each other without speaking it out loud.

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Fighting scene Fail! Sorry, still haven't gotten better. I totally lost sight of the progress of the social link of Saoto, so I have to fix that first. Get ready everyone! It is May and after the Full Moon Boss, so I can make the Akihiko Social Link! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, since I just whipped it together in less than two days. Stupid writers block.

**Review or I will have no choice but to put Justin Bieber into the story and let him die!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	13. Chapter 13: Change Relict and Panties

Alright! Sorry for the late update last week, had a lot of stuff to do in school. At least we have vacation soon.

**By the way, I'm searching for a beta-reader. If someone would be so nice to do it for me, I would really appreciate it.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona but a wide range of fantasy!

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5/12/2009 Tuesday After School

Minato sat on a bench in the Naganaki Shrine, enjoying the afternoon with Souji. They had met up in the strip mall and since the younger didn't have anything to do, they decided to get a few burgers from Wild Duck and talk for a bit. They idly chatted for a while until they heard footsteps from the stairs. The two teens turned to the source of the noise, only to see Saoto coming up. The boy looked around for a bit, as if searching for something. He then spotted the Senpai and began to wave his arm around, smiling brightly.

"Minato-niisan! You could have told me you are here!" He then noticed the silverette sitting beside the older and began to smile even more. "Ah, is that you, Seta-kun? I didn't know you like coming to the shrine!" The boy threw him a wary glace but then looked at his feet again.

"W-Why are you here, Kirita?" The black-head gave him a unbelieving look before he shook his head and sighed, despite himself a small smile remaining on his face.

"What do you mean, why am I here? I live here!" As the taller didn't look up to him, he sighed again. "Seriously, why are you always so cold to others, Seta-kun? You are so popular in school but you never seem to be interested in being friends with anyone! Anyway, I have to get going. See ya tomorrow!" And he ran off again. The two teens sat in silence for a few minutes before Souji gave a exhausted groan. Minato raised an eyebrow at him and the shorter he ran his hand through his hair.

"So, Minato-Senpai, you know him, too?" The other gave him a nod and he gave a small laugh. "Wow, although this town is pretty big, I don't seem to escape this kid. He really is hard to handle." He raised his eyebrow a little more.

"What do you mean with that? Is he following you or something?" The smaller shook his head, his face back to expressionless.

"It's no that. In fact, he seems pretty nice to me. It's just hard to keep my distance to him."

"Why would you do that? Didn't you want friends?" Souji bit onto his lower lip, a pained expression on his face.

"I do, but... Why making friends if I just lose them anyway? In all those years I lived, I learned one thing for sure: It is easier to live well, while Keeping a good distance from the people around you. It's easier to part that way. It's better for both parties." He said, the sadness apparent, but shortly after his face was back to normal, not expressing anything at all. "I'm already used to it, so it isn't so bad. You don't have to worry about me, Senpai." He raised from the bench and turned back to Minato, a soft smile gracing his features. "Thanks for listening, though. It was the first time I talked with someone about it. I don't understand it, but I somehow feel lighter when I'm around you."

"_**I am Thou... Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Temperance Arcana."**_

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"Alright... Inugami, Nigi Mitama, Lilim, Oberon, Archangel, Chimera and Berith... maybe I should go and get them fused or something... On the other hand, I get along with them pretty well... Is it such a good idea...? We probably won't go to Tartarus while everyone is tired, so I could go to the Velvet Room any time... There is a door in the tower, but they would just think I'm crazy if I go in there again..." Minato lay on his bed, demon cards in his hands and debating what to do with them. He had gotten them through fusions but because of his sisters orders they didn't really come to use. It was like she tried to do her best to stop he brother from using his powers. Was it because she was scared of her position of the leader? The boy didn't know but he was sure his little friends here will die from boredom if they don't fight soon.

"**Come on, Master, why do you have to listen to this gal anyway? You could shut her up in no time with our help!" **He heard Lilim complain in his head. He sighed, lowering the cards to his side.

"She's my older sister and Senpai made her the leader. If I don't want to be suspended from school ,I have to listen to her if I like it or not. She has always been better at making decisions, anyway."

"**But that doesn't change the fact that you are stronger than her." **Berith commented and he couldn't help but mentally glare at the knight.

"Don't mock me, alright? I might be good with demons, but that doesn't make **me **any stronger. She is way better with her Persona and weapon than I am. She has every right to command over us."

"**Not that it really matters. Seems like your red-haired beauty decided on it and won't change her mind so soon. She practically adores this girl." **It took him some time to figure out that Oberon was talking about Kirijou-Senpai.

"Well, seems like it. Don't know about the adore part, though." He thought for a moment, before stuffing the cards into his card holder on the night stand. "Alright, next time I will summon you no matter what Aneki says. I promise, so don't go berserk until then, alright?" he heard silent cheering in the back of his mind and slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

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"Dude, midterms are coming up! I just can't bring myself to be happy about this stuff!" Saoto said, stretching his arms over his head. He looked over at his Senpai who was yawning, not really listening to him. "Hey, you alright? You are unusually tired, even for you." The bluenette threw him a glare which quickly turned mushy as a new yawn made it's way from his throat.

"Nothing really. We just went to Tartarus last night. Sorry I wasn't able to hang out yesterday, but Yukari-san almost begged me to help her study." As the younger just gave him a shrug he continued. "Junpei hadn't been available for the last few days... I wonder what he's doing..."

"Concluding out of what you told me about him up until now, probably not studying. Man, school is such a pain. I almost regret leaving home to live on my own." He said without thinking, but then something seemed to hit him and he shut his mouth. He nibbled at his bottom lip before slowly turning his head to the older. "I didn't tell you why I left the clan, right? Well it was because they killed the person who was the closest to me. You probably can guess who it was, right? I mean Kage." A little glint of surprise flashed through his blue eyes but it was soon gone. "I told you she died during a summoning and it's the truth. It's only that they forced her to do it. She told them that it would be no good, but they didn't listen to her. They insisted on doing it and when she did, she died. I don't know what exactly happened but they told us that she died a painless death."

"Damn, I'm sorry about that..." The bluenette began but was stopped when the black-haired boy shook his head.

"Don't sweat it. It's long ago and I'm already over it. Like they say, no sense crying over spilled milk, right?" Koromaru ran up to them, happily barking and trying to cheer up the mood. The younger boy leaned down to the dog and patted him between his ears, a content expression on his face. "Man, just what's up with you? Every time I'm with you, I feel like I can tell you anything and it will be alright. Must be one more of your powers, huh?"

"_**I am Thou... and Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hanged Man Arcana!"**_

"Man, this almost changed to a routine." The third-year looked at the wrist-watch he kept in his pocket and gasped. "Wow, is it already this late? You should get home before Kirijou-Senpai scolds you again, right?" he ran into the shrine, the gray canine at his heels. The junior watched him off before running to the dorm, trying to get there in time for dinner.

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"Seriously, whose idea was it to split this damn tower into so many floors? We are already on the 35th and no end in sight." Yukari complained as she dragged herself up the stairs, followed by Minato and Junpei. For some reason Hamuko had wanted to go further into Tartarus although everyone could see that she was already pretty beat up. The bluenette has offered her a healing but she plain out refused. Talking about stubborn. "Hey, shouldn't we go back? I mean, sure I can keep going but you seem hurt and we need to learn for the exams next week. I'm not sure I will be able to get good grades with going here everyday." She received no answer from their leader up ahead and sighed. "Alright, you're the boss." The team reached the top of the stairs and with it the 36th floor. The juniors looked around for a bit and heard a loud crack from their communicators.

"_I detect a strong Shadow in the center of this area." _Mitsuru said at the end of the line and they began to move out. Barely rounding the corner, a strong wind attack hit the younger Arisato, making him stumbling back for a bit. _"Be careful, it's Arcana is the empress. It's a guardian, so it will be a difficult fight!" _he gave a little grunt and took out one of his Demon card.

"Come here, Oberon!" The king of fairies appeared in front of him and casted a Media spell on everyone, healing up their cuts. He gave him a nod and the creature immediately understood, throwing a wave of thunder at the enemy. He gave it a closer inspection and noticed that it looked like a iron maiden, completely in white and with feather-like decorations on the top. He raised his Evoker and pulled the trigger.

"Orpheus!" The Persona took his lyre and hit on the Shadow with all his might. Soon after came Hermes who strengthened his Cleave with fire. As Yukari made Io do a Garu attack, it was thrown back at her and she quickly side-stepped, dodging the wind. She looked startled for a moment before her face changed into a grimace.

"What? Don't tell wind won't work!" She shouted, exasperated. She summoned her bull head again, this time healing Hamuko who was panting heavily at the other side of the room. Latter raised her naginata, storming at the statue. She slashed it with the blade, splitting the metallic feathers off of the rest of the body. It paid no mind to it and just threw another wind attack at her, making her fly against the wall, knocking her down. She tried to get up again but the Shadow was faster and threw another blow, cutting her up and eliciting a cry of pain from her.

"_Arisato is severely injured! You have to heal her!" _Although she tried to hide it, the panic in their Senpai's voice was unmistakeable. As the white being tried to make contact with the girl again, Minato jumped between them, successfully taking the blow for her.

"Inugami, we need some healing here!" The long fox-like worm seemed to grow out of his card holder and a light engulfed them, healing part of their wounds. The bluenette looked over to Oberon who had his hands full with healing Junpei while latter just kept on hitting the Shadow with his sword. He turned back to his sister and offered her a hand which she took without complain, to the surprise of the boy. But that was soon forgotten as an odd purple fog seemed to come out of their enemy. Suddenly it felt like his throat was burning up, making him fall to ground and coughing. The older Arisato was still standing with her tie clasped over her nose and mouth. He heard the others shout and his demon whimpering but all he really noticed was the pain he felt. He fumbled at his belt, trying to find Nigi Mitama, but his vision began to fog up until he didn't know where he was again.

"Take this!" and the next moment the pain was gone, leaving him desperately gasping for air. He look up into the face of his sister who was back into battle again. Inugami nudged him with it's snout and he patted it on the head, turning it back into a card. Minato swiftly picked himself up from the floor, making Orpheus throw fire at the Shadow. Soon the statue was standing on one of it's edges, making Junpei laugh loudly.

"'On the edge', huh? Now let's finish this!" he shouted and Hermes slashed her with it's legs, making it dissolve into black fog. They all sighed in relief and Hamuko was the first to move again.

"Alright, there should be no other Shadows around anymore. We should look for the access point and any suitcases. I'll go with Yukari. If anyone finds something, tell it Kirijou-Senpai and we meet at the access point." She grabbed the other girl by the shoulder and ran off, leaving the boys in her dust. They sat there for a moment before the taller of them sighed. "Dude, why is she always like this? One moment she's a bubbly girl, the next a stoic commander. One moment she's nice and the next she hits me with a tennis bat. Man, girls really are a mystery to me." The blue-haired Arisato just dusted himself off and walked over to the other hall that was leading out of the room.

"Not that it matters right now. We have to get going or Aneki will be mad at us." The two walked around for a bit until they reached a room with two suitcases inside. But what was really interesting was the glowing box standing beside them. As they opened them, they received two green-glowing gems and a bottle of Soma, the drink of the gods they already found before. They hadn't really used it but Mitsuru said they would completely heal them. They opened the treasure chest and their eyes widened. Inside was something that somehow looked like a swimsuit but it had pieces of armor attached to it. It was colored in a red color and was very revealing. The younger looked over to the black-head, who was furiously blushing. "Erm, Junpei? What the heck is this?" The other gulped, but then a wide grin made itself home on his face.

"I don't know, dude, but I can't wait to see one of the girls inside of this!" The baseball-player shouted and stuffed it inside the backpack he was carrying with him. Soon the others called them over and they were back at the entrance, the red-haired junior making an announcement.

"Alright, since it was a pretty close call today, we should stop going to Tartarus for the time being. We have to study for mid-terms anyway, so it will definitely do us some good. But once they are over, get ready to make up for the training you missed." She said, not even twitching with her eye. The team was about to move out of the tower but Junpei stopped them.

"Wait a sec! I've got something to say, too! Minato and I were walking around in Tartarus for a bit and found this!" he held up the wannabe-swimsuit, the girls stepping back in surprise and the bluenette just sighing. "I think it would make a better defense than the stuff you guys are wearing under your uniforms, so maybe one of you should try it on!" He just earned a smack on his head for that.

"Are out of your mind! No one who is not would ever wear something like this or even suggest it!"

"But he does have a point. The chain mails we wear are in no comparison to that, although it does show much skin." Hamuko injected, making her brother mentally smack his head. _You are just making it worse, Aneki. _

"B-But it's totally embarrassing!" She just shrugged, walking towards the exit.

"We can debate this at another time, but the Dark Hour will end soon. We should get out of here." And with that the conversation died.

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5/15/2009 Friday After School

Minato had decided to come to Naganaki Shrine with Junpei. He looked around for a bit, noticing that he came here with his friends pretty often. He looked over at Junpei who was obviously trying to hide something. When he wasn't cautious enough he stole glace at the others eye, noticing the dark bruise that was there. He stared at it for a few minutes, making the taller uncomfortable.

"Dude, it's just a punch. Don't stare at it like it's some kind of tumor.§ he tried to push the younger away but he stood his ground.

"Did you get into a fight with the people who made photos of me?" Junpei blushed a scarlet red and spluttered for a moment before regaining his composure (or at least managed to form some words).

"Who cares! Don't bother asking 'cause I won't tell you anything about it!" When he was able to talk without shouting again, he said, "In any case, I don't think you have to worry about photos going around anymore." Minato let his eyes slid away from the bruise and gave the baseball-player a soft smile.

"Well, thanks. But if you ever get into a fight again, just call me. I wanted to give them a few punches myself." The blood shot up the others neck again, making him step back.

"I told you it has nothing to do with the bruise!" A few awkward moments passed on until he spoke up again. "I think... this is my first time."

"What, getting punched?"

"N-No, that's not what I meant! I always thought that if I laugh my way out of everything, I would never be in trouble. That's why I try to avoid having to be serious as much as I can. You know those times everyone sits around and talks seriously? I don't really like those, so I try to goof around... I thought I could breeze my way through things and try to be fun. It's so much easier than having to do stuff like understanding other people. But after meeting you and the others, I've changed a little. ...Not everything is about everyone's cool, right? Everybody has parts of them that are cool or lame. But they are all doing what's best for themselves. After seeing you all like that... I think I got scared. There's no way you understand each other useless you say what you think. Staying quiet and trying to act cool won't tell anybody anything. Seeing someone so much smaller than me put everything they got into something...I think I got ashamed of myself. I've never tried my hardest in anything, I don't take anything seriously... That's why I never gain anything and why I'm never happy. I realized I'm not living my life at all." he was silent for a moment and Minato lay his hand on his shoulder.

"Junpei..." The other looked up to him, a small grin on his face.

"Woah, what's with that face? I can be serious, too, sometimes!" he gave out a cheery laugh before he talked again. "When I got those pictures back of you it crossed my mind. In the end, I just wanted you to trust in me. Like, if someone like you could trust me, I would be worth something. But trying to get you to rely on me to solve this is just wrong... You are an important friend of me, after all."

"_**I am Thou... And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Magician Arcana!"**_

"Sucks this place has no swings. Don't you sometime have the urge to swing in one one in a while? I used to do it a lot when I was a kid. I'd get close to the sky and think that I could go somewhere else... Somewhere that isn't here..." His face fell for a moment but then he smiled again. "At least that's what I think when I'm on the swing. We should ride on one together some time. You know how, right? One stands the other sits!" When the sun began to set, the two of them walked back to the dorm. They chatted about various things until Minato remembered something.

"Oh, Junpei, one more thing. I'm not that much smaller than you."

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Alright, that's it! I had a funny incident in school lately. A friend of mine came up to me and said that she was using some high choice of words while writing and so most of our teacher think she just copied it from somewhere else. Like using "Äußerst" instead of "Sehr". Like in "Äußerst interesant" instead of "Sehr interesant". Funny, I thought I was the only one who did that in out class. I don't even know why I write it here, since most of my reader are not German.

**Thanks for reading and frohe Weihnachten! Don't forget to review!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	14. Chapter 14: The Emperor and the Reaper

Yay, Christmas is finally over! Sorry for the delay but my parents dragged me from one party to the other. I also wrote a Christmas special. I hope you read it. Anyway,I'm writing on a new story at the side. It's in German and I probably won't publish it, but it has a bunch of references to the Megaten Series.

Disclaimer: If I were to own Persona, then Innocent sin the original would have made it to Europe.

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5/23/2009 Saturday After School

Minato slammed his head down on his desk, exhausted. It was not like the tests were hard or anything, it was just annoying to sit there all the time and writing them. He looked up from his position at Junpei who seemed drained of his life source. He straightened up and looked at the girls in font of him, observing as his sister did the same as he did only a few seconds ago and Yukari stretching her arms above her head.

"Ugh, I'm glad it's finally over! So how did you do?" The archer asked the rest of the group, only earning two groans from Hamuko and the other boy and one thump up from the bluenette. "Anyway, the last week has been pretty tiring. Maybe we should return home early today." The others gave her approving nods while Minato just kept quiet, packing his bag. He had actually wanted to spend the day with one of his friends but because of exams, Saoto was probably trying to forget about it, Souji was probably having a talk with his parents and he could see that Junpei was in no mood for that. He walked home with his classmates, idly chatting around and occasionally glancing at his sister who was rubbing her eyes. _I wonder if we go to Tartarus today with her almost falling asleep standing... _As they opened the doors of the dorm, the first thing they noticed was the cheerfully smiling Akihiko, polishing his boxing gloves. When he noticed them standing at the entrance, a small smile spread over his face.

"Ah, you're back."

"Senpai! I hear you're fully healed!" Yukari walked over to him, sitting down on the couch.

"I need to catch up on my training. I've been slacking off for a whole month."

"But maybe you should take it easy. You don't want to reinjure your arm, right?" Hamuko said, taking a seat beside the boxer and getting dangerously close to him. An odd feeling began to boil in Minato's stomach but he ignored it and sat down beside Junpei, opposite of his sister. The silverette smiled yet again but moved back from her a little.

"I've already wasted precious time. Besides we found another Persona-User." The baseball-player's eyes began to shine an eery light.

"Seriously? Sweet! Is it a girl...?" The bluenette had to roll his eyes at that.

"Actually, it is. It's a junior who goes to our school. Fuuka Yamagishi... Do you guys know her?"

"Yamagishi...? Oh, you mean that girl in 2-E. She's been sick a lot, from what I heard, so I haven't seen her at school very often."

"She was at the same hospital as me, that's how we found out about her. But maybe she isn't cut out for battle. I had an Evoker made for her, too..." The cap-wearing boy's face fell immediately.

"What! We are giving up on her already! I was gonna offer her some private lessons..." Silence set in, everyone else staring at the boy blankly.

"You sound like a creep." the older Arisato finally said, earning a loud laugh from Yukari.

"Oh man, I was think the same thing!" She almost shouted and kept on laughing.

"Yow! Retract those claws, ladies! I'm totally a hip, happenin' teen! You dig?"

"...Loser." both girls exclaimed in unison.

"Hey, why're you lookin' at me like that! C'mon, I'm a guy. Whaddya expect?" The younger twin observed the situation but then sighed and retracted himself from the other, leaving them in their bickering. He was just about to enter his room when he heard hurried footsteps from downstairs. Soon he saw Akihiko rounding the corner, waving frantically.

"Hey, good thing I catch you before you go to bed. I wanted to ask you something." For some reason, Minato's heart began to pound in his chest but he tired to suppress it the best he can. _It's because he's so popular at school and I admire him for his boxing skills, nothing else. _He thought to himself over and over again, looking unfazed on the outside. "Do you want to hang out tomorrow? I don't have training, so..." His Senpai rubbed the back of his head, a small smirk on his lips. He thought about it for a moment but then noticed that everyone else doesn't have time anyway, so he nodded. "Great, do you want to go eat lunch with me then? We can go to Hagakure if you want." he received another nod and with smirk turned into a smile. "Alright, wake up early tomorrow because on Sundays the place is always pretty full. Well, see you tomorrow." And then the silverette walked off into his own room. The younger still stood there for a little while, his face now bright red.

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If he had to describe the situation with one word, it would definitely be awkward. Akihiko had taken him to the strip mall but that wasn't what made him uncomfortable. It was the fact that every female and even some males were staring at them. He didn't even know what was the deal. They were just two guy-friends that were going out on a Sunday to eat. One of them just happened to be the most popular boy in high-school and the other the new transfer student with the odd hair color. He looked up at his Senpai who seemed pretty much oblivious to all his fangirls. How much Minato envied him at that moment. He tries his best to ignore their piercing glares but they almost burned at the back of his neck, making it impossible to stay oblivious for him.

"Alright, let's enter!" He looked up and for the first time he noticed that they had already arrived. The two teens swiftly entered the Ramen Shop and took a seat in the back, almost the same that he had occupied with Junpei a few weeks back. "You are fine with special, right?" The boy gave him a nod as an answer and the older also nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, two extra-large specials, please!" he shouted over to the cook, making Minato's eyes widen slightly.

"Why extra-large?" he asked in his usual quiet voice. Although he had begun to speak normally with his other friends he still had to get accustomed to speaking like that with other people. The boxer gave him a small smile but didn't take the order back.

"I don't think you will have any problems with that much Ramen." He couldn't deny that. "Physical strength is everything. Even if your skills are remarkable, they won't be of any use if you get exhausted easily." Just as he was finished talking, the waiter came and brought them their food. The two of them somehow managed to eat it all up but oddly enough, Minato had a small stomach ache. Akihiko slurped up the rest of his noodles and looked over to the smaller, impressed. "I'm surprised you managed to polish it all off. You want to go to another restaurant?" Minato cocked his head to the side but then nodded, not really minding eating more. The other seemed to inspect him for a moment but then his eyes narrowed dangerously. "..Are you sure? You don't look so well. Man, you don't have to farce yourself just to be friendly." He sighed loudly and Minato noticed that the other customers were staring at them again. Didn't they have anything better to do than watching two teenagers eating? "You must have a really small stomach. If you don't eat properly, you will never get stronger." He gave the silverette a fierce glare, making him blink. "Why are you staring at me like that? I'm not Junpei, so I won't go easy on you just because you are the weakest of the team right now. Well, there is still Yukari, but her healing and wind power make up for it." He looked at his empty bowl for a moment before looking back at the bluenette. "Hey, you're not mad at me about that thing, right?" Now he really lost track of what he was saying.

"What thing?" That made Akihiko almost fall from his bank. He quickly caught himself and gave the underclassman an unbelieving look.

"Seriously, you forgot? And here I am, worrying about you being mad about it. I mean that leader business. I thought you would be offended because you were her brother." The shorter cocked his head on the side yet again.

"Why would I be offended? Like you just said, I'm the weakest in the team. I wouldn't really be a good leader, I'm not even able to properly take care of myself, let alone a group of teenager with weapons in a gigantic tower full of monsters."

"But you do command a bunch of demons that could probably kill you any moment."

"That's something totally different. Demons are much easier to handle than a bunch of humans in puberty." he said with finality in his voice. There was a small staring contest between them then but after some time the older gave up, leaning back into his seat.

"Alright, you win. But I have to say, although you are not appointed as the leader, you do seem pretty much in command. I don't say for you to stop, but don't forget Arisato is in charge. She's pretty strong by herself, let's do our best to back her up. And don't forget that you are not alone either, alright?" The bluenette couldn't help but smile at the others concern and determination, although there was that odd feeling in his stomach again, but he just suppressed it again. Before he knew it, the world was gray again and a card floated above his head.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Emperor Arcana!"**_

He quickly grabbed the card and stuffed it away in his holder, looking Akihiko straight in the eye as he continued talking.

"Now that we are done eating, we should get back. Let's jog so we can help our stomachs settle." After they had paid, they actually ran back to the dorm with Minato falling behind and the upperclassman cheering on him. Although the running made it more obvious, his heartbeat was still unusually fast.

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"Alright guys, now that we are all back in Tartarus, let's get back to the matter at hand." Hamuko shouted into the group and presented the Wannabe-Swimsuit, they had called it Battle-Panties, that the team found in Tartarus last time. The other girls looked at the ground and Akihiko gasped.

"Wait, what do you want to do with that thing?" The silverette asked, his face already in a shade of red that matched the hair of the female Arisato.

"Well, the boys found this and asked if one of us girls could wear that. I checked it at the police station, it does make a better defense than the stuff we are wearing right now and you can move faster inside it. So, who wants to be the one to wear it?" She asked into the group but only silence greeted her. A few minutes passed without anyone saying a word and Minato already felt the others shift in awkwardness. Finally Mitsuru raised from her bike and tried to talk to his sister.

"Arisato, we can't go any further inside Tartarus anyway. Why do you still want one of us to wear that... thing?" She tried to be as natural as possible but she practically failed at that, making it sound forced.

"Senpai, aren't you always the one who tells us to train? We never know when the next enemy might strike and how strong they could be. And if that can protect us better than our old amours, we should use it." The other girl shot back and the boxer couldn't stop his chuckle.

"Well, she got you there, Mitsuru." he said which earned him a fierce glare from the council president.

"Anyway, it wouldn't make any sense for me to wear it since I'm down here most of the time. I don't think it's my size anyway. Maybe you and Takeba should decide which one of you should wear it." Minato had to admit, it was a clever way to snake her way out of it. Yukari's head snapped up at this and stared at their Senpai, probably horrified by her statement. Their leader gave her a nod and turned to her classmate who was frantically shaking her head.

"No way! I won't wear that thing!" She shouted, stepping back from her but the other just kept on closing in.

"Well, while I checked it's quality, I noticed it was a little bit too small for me. So, when I look at you, I noticed you were slimmer than me. Thus, you have to wear it." Without waiting for an answer, she dragged the archer behind the stairs and loud cries and shouts filled the air. Junpei tired to catch a glimpse on them but the bluenette grabbed by the shoulder before he could make even one step. The young boy rubbed his temples as Yukari tried to run with only her underwear on before his sister caught her and pulled her back into the blind spot. After some time the room finally quieted but neither of the girls stepped out of the shadow. After a few minutes, they heard low whispers but then someone was pushed and the next moment the brunette lay on the floor, fully equipped with the Battle-Panties.

Just as the younger twin has thought, it barely covered anything and most of her back was visible because of it. It really does look like a swimsuit except for the odd part that covered her legs and the piece of metal that kept her hair tamed. He could see his male classmate almost drooling at the sight and he just had to sigh. What was so special about it? Whenever they were at the beach, he saw his sister in a similar attire, so it didn't affect him anymore. While he had let his thoughts wander, he hadn't noticed that the girl was standing on her feet again, desperately trying to cover her revealed body parts with her hands.

"This is so embarrassing... I'm just glad none of my friends can see me like this..." he muttered as Hamuko came out of the shadows with a victorious smile on her lips and the others clothes.

"Think positive, Yukari-chan! You also have more strength in battle with this!" She said and grabbed after her naginata, already walking toward the access point. "Now, everybody, let's go!" She said and then was gone. Yukari gave the rest of the group a hesitant look before following the other girl and the boys were gone soon after her. Tartarus hasn't changed much during the exams but the enemies were still tough to fight. The boy looked over to Akihiko who smashed a Shadow with his bare fists. It was to be expected, since he was a boxer and been in this business far longer than they have, but it still impressed him just how good at fighting he was. He snapped back to reality as one of those flying books tried to tackle him. Before he knew what he was doing, his sword lay on the floor and he had kicked it with his foot, knocking it down. Another one came at him but this time it met his fist, making it dissolve into fog. His teammates looked at him surprised but before anyone could say something he ran up to the one on the floor and this time used Aoi Chou to finish it. The others seemed stunned for a moment but then his silver-haired Senpai walked up to him, a bright smile on his face.

"That was amazing!" He shouted as the younger sheathed the blade. His eyes were sparkling for some reason but he quickly caught himself and coughed a little. "I mean, that was pretty good. Have you boxed before?"

"Well, I did have a few Karate lessons when I was smaller, but not really Boxing." he answered, not really getting what was going on.

"When we get out of here, you want to join the boxing club? I know on the plan it says we are not accepting any new members, but as the captain, I'm sure I can get a free seat for you." he was about to agree when his sister jumped between them, interrupting their conversation.

"I'm sorry, Senpai, but he is not really a sports person! Now let's get going already!" She pushed them apart and stomped away, leaving two confused boys behind. They looked after her, then at each other and broke out laughing. Hamuko stopped walking and looked over her shoulder, observing their behavior. When they had finally caught their breath, the older raised his hand to the others head, patting his hair like he always did.

"Anyway, think about it. I will wait for your reply." And the team went off to search for more Shadows. They had kept on fighting for a few more minutes when loud rattling filled the air. The teens looked up from what they were doing and tried to determine where the sound was coming from. Something seemed to twist in Minato's stomach and he fell to his knees, gasping for air. Pictures filled his mind and a big figure appeared in his head. It held two gigantic revolvers and two chains were strapped over it's chest. It didn't seem to have a real body but it wore a black trench-coat. Blood was splashed all over it's clothes and it wore a white mask with one eye hole in the middle. There were many things he could have thought about this but there was only one thing every fiber in his body cried.

**RUN.**

"Damn it! We have to find an access point or the stairs! Fast!" he shouted at the others who just stared at him, not getting what he meant. "I don't know how I know, but whatever that thing is that is coming, it's dangerous! We have to get out of here!"

"_I agree." _he heard Mitsuru say at the end of the line. _"I never felt something like this before. But I know one thing for sure, you are not ready to face it yet." _the red-head gave a grunt but then nodded, turning to the others.

"Alright. Let's split up. I'll go search with Yukari. Junpei, Senpai and Blueberry, you three build a team. If you found anything, give notice immediately." The two girls were about to run off when the baseball-player stopped them.

"Um, wouldn't it be better if I came with you? I know you two are good with magic and all, but a little physical strength wouldn't hurt ya, right? Besides, Minato and Sanada-Senpai are strong. I'm probably just the fifth wheel on the cart." The girl looked at the floor, deciding what to do with him. After a few moments of silence, she gave a nod and the three of them were gone. He picked himself up from the floor and took off into the other direction, Akihiko close on his tail. They kept on searching, the rattling still in the back of their minds when they heard something coming from the communicator.

"_We found the access point! Senpai marked it on the map, so hurry over here!" _Yukari said and then the line went death again. The bluenette let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Good, now they wouldn't have to encounter that thing. He looked for the green point on the screen and this time the upperclassman took the lead. They just rounded the corner when a huge creature blocked their way, one of it's two guns raised. The boy recognized it immediately.

"What! It's here already!" They two teens tried to make a run for it but then a sudden pain hit him. Before the young Arisato knew it, he was on the floor, his vision just a blur. He still heard the chains rattling and someone shouting but everything seemed so far away right now. He suddenly felt a warmth spread over his whole body and everything came back into focus. He tried to stand up but before he could do that, he was picked up and thrown over a shoulder.

"I hate running away, but it seems like we've got no choice!" Akihiko yelled as he ran, not really minding the junior he was carrying. The younger watched as the supposedly Shadow began to get smaller the more time passed but he took notice that it was already following them. They seemed to be safe for a moment but when they turned another corner, it was there again and was about to shoot another of it's attacks. Panic filled his eyes and he grabbed into his packet, grabbing one of the magical mirror he was always carrying. The attack reflected off nicely but now it was on their tails again. When he thought everything was over he saw a green light over his shoulder and Akihiko dived for it just as the gun went off again.

The next moment, they were down at the entrance, trying to catch their breath. They had pretty much fell out of the green light beam and now the boxer was practically lying on him but he didn't mind. After their heartbeats calmed down, the two of them sat up with the rest of the team standing around them, each of them seemingly worried. He gave them a reassuring smile but then pain shot up through his body. He grabbed after his arm and for the first time he noticed he had burns all over his body.

"We should get back to the dorm now. Arisato-Outoto is severely injured and it has to be treated in an instant." They all nodded and walked out of the door. Minato tried to stand up again but yet again he was picked up but this time carried bridal style. He looked up to the his Senpais face, a small grin plastered on it. "Hey, don't strain yourself. Once we get home, I will take care of your wounds. I'm not as good as Takeba with stuff like that but I think I will manage." He stared at the silverette for a few more minutes but then turned away, burying his face into the older's shirt, trying to hide his huge blush.

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Woot, finally done! I kept on struggling with this chapter for some reason but I'm glad I did it. I just watched the last episode of Tales of Abyss. Man that was fucked up. I hope you enjoyed this one, too. I go back to writing on Demi-Stories now.

**Review or a rain cloud will appear above you and it won't go away until you do!**

Sincerely, Your Shadow.


	15. Chapter 15: Bullies and Confrontation

Ugh, how long has it been since I updated this? More than a month? Gosh, I feel so terrible right now for not doin it, but I had my reasons! I had a bunch of projects to do for school and then there were reports, our roommate moving out, Asian new year and all that stuff! Plus, I just found a liking in editing music and making games! I'm working on a little project right now called **Bloody Wings. **It's far from complete but I'll give word once it is.

Disclaimer: If I were to own Persona, then Minato wouldn't have died at the end.

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5/25/2009 Monday Early Morning

Minato slumped down on his desk and buried his head in his arms, face still so red that it could be considered unhealthy. It was the day the results of the exams will be posted but he couldn't bring himself to care. The images of last night came up again and he let out a frustrated groan, earning some odd looks of his classmates. He tried to push them out of his mind but they kept on replaying like the thousand times they have already.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"_Alright, here we are." Akihiko slowly laid him down onto the mattress,trying to avoid the burns the shorter had. The others had asked if they should help them, but the silverette declined so they were all alone in the small room of the bluenette. The junior shifted uncomfortably and looked up to his senior who seemed also lost on what to do next."W-Well, do you have a first-aid kit or something?" He pointed toward the sink which had a small box standing beside it. Shortly after the two teens sat there together, putting ointment on his wounds and bandaging them up. His Senpai had taken off his gloves and his fingertips danced over his skin, leaving a warm trail behind. The bluenette was surprised at how soft his hands were. You would think that they were much rougher since he was boxing and...Argh! What was he thinking this was not the right time for this! Not that it was ever the time to think something like this! _

"_Sorry that I couldn't heal all of your injuries with Polydeuces."His head snapped back up and he met gray eyes. His face took on a slight pink tint and he wildly shook his head._

"_It's alright, Sanada-Senpai. The burns are not that bad." He received a small smile but the older just shook his head._

"_We both know that it's not true, now turn around, I'm gonna bandage your back." The younger did as ordered and again a silence fell over them. This time it was not awkward but rather soothing and relaxing and the young Arisato couldn't help but close his eyes, leaning back into those warm hands. "Hey, what is this?" He felt something run up his spine and he involuntary shuddered. Minato thought for a bit and then realization hit him._

"_Oh, it's no big deal. That's the scar I got from the car crash ten years ago." Suddenly, he felt warm breath ghosting over this particular part of his body and he thought all the blood in his head would make him faint._

"_It looks pretty painful..."_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hey, the results are posted!" Minato lifted his head from his folded arms and took a glace around the classroom. He hadn't even noticed that the lessons started, let alone when they ended. He recognized a familiar pink blazer and looked up into chocolate brown eyes.

"Minato-kun, do you want to come with me and Hamuko-chan? We could always go later, but it's more fun when many people are at the bulletin board." Yukari said, all the while smiling. Although he was wondering if she was sadistic or just wanted to comfort the lower students, the bluenette agreed and they went downstairs. Just as the archer had predicted, a gigantic mass of students gathered in the faculty office hallway. The noises there ranged from loud cries of cheer to silent sobs of sorrow. After several minutes of fighting through the crowd, the teens finally stood in front of the board itself. They girls immediately scanned it for their names and their faces brightened at the same time.

"Yay, I'm in the top twenty! How about you Hamuko-chan?" The pink-clad girls shouted and turned to the red-head who gave her a cocky grin.

"In the top ten." The brunette gasped and covered her mouth in awe.

"Wow, that's amazing! And how about you, Minato-kun?" The bluenette turned back to the pieces of paper that hung at the wall, searching his name as well. After a few failed attempts, he looked at the upper part and finally noticed it standing right at the top. His companion followed his gaze and their jaws almost fell to the ground. "What! I never saw you crack up a book before! Just how did you do this?"

"I'm... not really sure myself. I just did what felt right." he mumbled in a low voice. They kept on chatting until lunch break was over and moved back into the classroom. Once the lessons were in session again, the young Arisato went back to pondering about what happened last night. His heart still raced if he just thought of it and he just couldn't figure out what it was. Then again, no one ever touched him before. He was probably just embarrassed. That's right, it's the only possibility. Satisfied with this explanation, he laid his head on his arms and took another nap.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Are ya Souji Seta?" The silverette looked at the three rugged guys behind him. He eyed them for a moment but then completely turned to them, his face still not showing any emotions.

"Depends. Who wants to know?" The group sneered at him and spat on the ground beside him, but there was still no reaction from the younger. Minato stepped out from behind him, observing the situation. He really wasn't so sure if they should talk to those guys but they didn't really gave them a choice.

"Ya just as high-stuck as he said. Heard ya got someone ta protect ya now. Think you could just walk around and let it go that ya beat up one of us, huh! Acting all high and mighty just 'cause yer parents have money. You probably paid that guy, too! You got nothing!" Only silence greeted him as the younger looked at the floor and the thug leaned over to him, a big sneer on his face. "Got nothing to say, little kid? Can't even speak for yourself, huh? You're pathetic!" A few moments of silence passed but then the silverette looked up at him, his expression still blank.

"You done? We have to go now." He turned back to his Senpai and grabbed his hand. "Come on, we have stuff to do." And with that he was dragged away in rapid speed. For a fourteen-year-old, Souji was surprisingly fast and strong and Minato was only able to catch flashes of colors from the corner of his eyes. There were also loud shouts coming from behind but the shorter just kept on running and they slowly were lost in the sounds of the crowd. When they finally halted, the two boys were standing in an dark alley just behind 'Escapade', trying to catch their breath. Souji stood up straight, throwing an almost not visible smile at the taller. "Sorry to drag you into this mess, Senpai." He replied with a small grin but then his face turned serious.

"Hey, does that happen often? I remember that you were also bullied when we first met." The youngers face visibly darkened and he moved his gaze to the floor beneath his feet.

"Yeah, they've been doing this since the term started. Wherever I am, they just pop out of nowhere and bug me. I tired my best to pretend to not care, but they just won't stop."

"Did you do anything to piss them off?" There, the silverette had to think for a minute but then he shook his head.

"Not that I can think of. I don't even know their names nor do I think that they go to out school. So I don't think it's a personal grudge against me." A blue eyebrow was raised and the silent question was answered before it was spoken. "I think they just do it because I stand out. I'm pretty silent, won't hang out with anyone and gray hair isn't very usual at my age." He uneasily patted his hair but then his eyes went wide and he turned his face back to the older. "Oh, but please don't tell my parents. They would just make a big fuss about it and I would really like to avoid that." After another few seconds of silence, he sighed and buried his face in his hands. "What am I talking about? You haven't even met them, nor do they know about you."

Minato couldn't help but smile at the other. Although the words were spoken as indifferent as possible, he could clearly see the small blush through the shorters fingers and the trust radiating from him.

"_**I am Thou... And thou Art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Temperance Arcana!"**_

"Anyway, maybe I should go home now. I don't want to worry anyone. See you later, Senpai!" and with that he was gone. The bluenette looked around for a bit, wondering what he could do next and then decided to return to the dorm. As he stepped out from behind the building, his thoughts began to wander back to the boy who had been with him only a few moments ago. He said he never really associated with people his age... Now that the bluenette thought about it, he didn't really, either. Sure, there were people he he got involved with, but they were not really his friends. The last person he hung out with that was his age was Kage, but that girl just couldn't get through as a normal kid. Since when had it started? He thought back to the years of his childhood, noting that he never really had many friends. His eyes widened as he remembered that fateful day ten years ago. Now that he thought about it, it all began back then. If there weren't that car crash, his parents wouldn't have died. Thus, he wouldn't have had to move around so much and he would have kept on living here in Iwatodai. And his sister wouldn't hate him. He thought back to those times when they were still kids, playing around and telling each other everything. What exactly has changed since then? She was still the same to everyone else, but she was cold to him. It was beginning to get better after some time, but now it's just like before. He climbed up the steps to the gigantic doors of the dorm and his fingers halted just before the knob. _This can't go on like this. I left her alone all this time, hoping that Aneki would tell on her own, but now I see that those hopes are futile. I'm gonna ask her the next chance I get! _With resolution burning in his eyes, he opened the door and stepped into the common room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

6/1/2009 Monday After School

Minato slumped down on his bed face first, dispirited. For the whole last week, he had tried to get his sister to have a decent conversation with him, but it either turned out that she had a meeting, hung out with her other friends or just plain out refused to go somewhere with him. The boy let out a loud groan, burying his face deeper into the pillow and pulling his knees up on the mattress as well. He felt something poke into his thigh so he moved his hand down and removed his keys from his jeans pocket. As he brought them up to his face, he couldn't stop the soft smile from creeping onto his face. Who could have thought that someone as goofy as Junpei could talk about his emotions so openly? Although the voices said that he didn't need to hang out with him, he just couldn't deny the warm feeling of trust that was between them every time the two teens were together. He stared at the pig formed thing for a few minutes but then a shiver ran down his spine when a cold breeze came through his room. He sat back up and glared at the open window, stuffing his keys back into his pocket. Stupid summer uniform. It was still a little too cold to only wear a thin button up shirt. Well, maybe it was just him. He liked the heat and even when the temperature drops a few degrees, he already began to freeze. He crossed the room and leaned over his table, closing the window. Just in that moment, Yukari entered the room, pink jacket thrown over her hips.

"Minato-kun, can you come down to the lounge? Junpei seems to want to tell us something." She said, the annoyed undertone obvious. He gave her a curt nod and then followed her downstairs, where the rest of their dorm mates were waiting for them. A wide grin began to spread over the face of his male classmate as he waited for them to be seated.

"Hey, did any of you guys read the student message board? You know, about how they found that girl in front of the school gate out cold?" He started, the other not really caring about what he said but listening nonetheless. "Well, there is that rumor that it was an angry spirit from this one ghost story." Yukari jumped out of her seat, her face in a pale shade.

"H-hey! C'mon...nobody believes that stuff..right?" She shrieked and Minato had to resist the urge to cover his ears. This girl tended to be way to loud and screechy from time to time. Mitsuru just ignored her and turned back to Junpei.

"So how does the ghost story go?" The brunette snapped her head to the upperclassman, horrified.

"Wha! It's probably made up... so why bother!"

"I'm interested. Go ahead and tell us, Iori." The archer slumped back into her seat, admitting defeat. All of their heads turned back to the baseball player, who was grinning from ear to ear. All of the sudden, all lights went out and the teen pulled out of nowhere, leaving Minato to wonder how the heck he did that. The teen held under his chin, trying to make an eery atmosphere, but it somehow only made him look even more silly.

"Good evening, and welcome to Junpei's believe it or don't." Oh, he wasn't serious, was he? "...There are many strange things in this world...according to one story...if you get caught at school late at night, you'll be devoured by a maniacal ghost that roams the halls! The other day, this friend of mine - let's call him Shuji...he said to me "Junpei, I saw something strange." He sounded serious, so I asked him what he'd seen. He said it was about the girl in 2-E...he claims he saw her go into the school on the night of the incident. I couldn't believe it. She's not the kind of girl to be out at night...but Shuji was as white as a sheet. He insisted it was true...then it hit me..." The bluenette looked over to Yukari and his sister, who were obviously terrified, but tried to hide it. "That ghost must have tried to make her its dinner!" They girls visibly jumped at that. "And that's why they found her lying on the ground by the gate! I felt a chill run down my spine, and I broke into a cold sweat... There are some strange things in this world..." he made a small pause. "Believe it...or don't." And with that the lights were on again and Minato had to difficulties with keeping his face neutral. On the inside, he was rolling on the floor and laughing his ass up. This story was just so silly, he can't help it. Seemingly, he was the only one who felt this way, because Mitsuru turned to Akihiko, her face stern.

"What do you think, Akihiko?"

"I think it's worth investigating." As their Senpais exchanged looks, Junpei turned to Yukari, a big smirk on his face.

"Wow, I didn't know you are afraid of ghost, Yuka-tan. That's kinda funny." The girl began to blush furiously, raising from her seat and glaring at the taller.

"Hey, watch it! F-fine, then let's investigate. We'll each ask around for the rest of the week. I'll prove to you that this ghost story is just an urban legend!" She shouted, her face bright red. Their upperclassmen smirked at her, seriousness never leaving their faces.

"I appreciate that. The story is a bit unnerving." Mitsuru said in her normal stoic voice.

"Then we'll leave it to you guys. Just make sure you're sleeping with one eye open..." The boxer said playfully. Yukari just ignored him and stomped off to the computer that stood behind the counter.

"I'll go research the rumor on the internet! I won't come to Tartarus tonight, so don't bother asking!" She sank onto the seat and began typing away, totally blending out the rest of the world. Minato watched as the rest of the dorm also raised from their chairs and went up the stairs, up to their respective rooms. Soon they all left, leaving only Hamuko, Yukari and Minato himself behind. His sister hasn't spoken a word since the conversation started and her face was still turned toward the table, not once looking up. His eyes wandered back to the archer and let out a sigh of relief as he saw her still occupied by the pc, probably not even noticing if a bomb exploded beside her. He turned back to his twin and his eyes hardened. Now or never.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asked, not even trying to soften his words. The red-head visibly flinched but her gaze was still fixed on the tabletop. The bluenette snorted, an unknown anger and bottled up sadness surfacing after years of suppressing it. "I first thought it was because of the dead of our parents all those years back, but ten years have passed and you still ignore me! There were times you kinda civil with me, but then you just acted all cold again! You can't just call it some kind of mood swings if they happen constantly!So just what the heck is wrong with you!" he yelled on the top of his lungs, slamming his hands onto the wooden board. He didn't care if anyone heard him anymore. The girl still wouldn't look at him, making him even more frustrated. He narrowed his eyes, letting his head fall down in an attempt to keep his temper from breaking out and slapping her. "At least tell me why. Why do keep on acting as if I don't exist? There has to be a reason. You just don't go around and hate people for nothing, right? So, why are doping this to me?" He asked, despair getting the better out of him. The answer he got was something he hadn't been expecting.

"What kind of reason could there be? It's just the way it is. You are inferior to me and that's the way I act to you. There's nothing else to it." That's when he couldn't take it anymore. He fully raised from his seat, making his chair fall to the ground backward and eliciting a loud gasp from Yukari behind the counter but he didn't notice. He ran around the table, grabbed his sister by the collar, pulling her out of her chair and raised his fist, ready to punch her. Just before it made contact, he stopped, a shiver running through his body. He looked down at the indifferent face of Hamuko and soft tears fell from his eyes, not longer able to hold it in. He pushed her back, big tears still rolling down his cheeks and gripped his fist so hard his knuckles were turning white.

"Damn it." he cursed and ran up to his room, ignoring the worried calls he got from Junpei and his Senpais. He fell down face first into his bed once again, this time in a completely different mood. He buried his face in his pillow, crying himself to sleep like the many other times he did before.

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Whew, this part with Souji almost killed me! I was never bullied before (except once or twice in kindergarden), so it was really hard for me to write it. It was the part which I took the most time with, but I think it turned out... acceptable. I'm sorry that this chapter is so short despite the fact that I haven't been updating for so long.

**Oh, I started a poll on my profile about if I should put Tatsuya from Persona 2 as a Social Link character inside here!**

There's once vote so far, but I hope you will give me your opinion!

**Please review or Apollo will come after you and will keep playing his lyre so you can't sleep!**

Your Shadow!


	16. Chapter 16: Of Demons and Punks

**Edit: **Just changed some minor things, like spelling and stuff. by the way, there is a guest character from another Shin Megami Tensei game in here. See if you can find them!

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona in any way(except maybe owning two or three copies of the games)!

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"Ha~~~h!" Minato slumped down onto the bench, exhausted from running around. He had spent all week gathering information for Yukari and now that he thought that he had enough, he was finally able to take a little break at the shrine. When he felt a small hand on his shoulder, he looked up to meet deep brown eyes.

"Hey, you alright? You look pretty grounded." Saoto said and sat down beside him with two drinks in his other hand. He gave one to the older, receiving a grateful smile that couldn't completely hide his exhaustion.

"It's nothing, really. I just had to go around town to research that ghost story. Yukari is pretty eager to prove Junpei wrong. I'm not sure what to think about their relationship. Sometimes they act like five-year-olds and then like an old married couple. It's so embarrassing to sit there that it almost cute. I have to meet up with the others in a bit, by the way." The bluenette took a sip on his coke, letting the bubbly feeling and sugar rush through his system. There's nothing better than having a cold drink after a week full of hard work. He looked back to the brunette beside him, a lazy grin on his face. "Sorry I wasn't able to hang out with you. There's just Tartarus, the Social links, school and now this that I can't find time to just sit here with you and relax for a bit." The other just smiled and shook his head, an understanding smile on his lips.

"It's alright. I was pretty busy myself, so it didn't really bother me." He took a sip of his cold milk himself and looked back at the taller, still smiling. "By the way, I noticed that you hang out with Seta-kun now. May I know how it came to that?" The teen choked on his drink, gaining a long fit of coughs until he looked up at the shorter again. His eyes hadn't been fooling him when he saw a dark aura radiating from the brunette and he backed up a bit. Who would have thought that Saoto could seem so... evil.

"It was pretty much a coincidence that we met. We bumped into each other at the station and I later saved from a bunch of bullies. We talked for a while and then a Social Link was established." He explained, clearing his throat for a bit. If he said something wrong, the boy might kill him! At least that's what that sugar sweet smile on his face felt like. When he looked from the corner of his eyes at him, he was surprised to find his fellow demon summoner shaking his head, sighing.

"My, my. I'm sure Kage told you this once before, but I will gladly repeat it for you." he raised his index finger and wagged it around a little, right in front of the olders face. "There are no coincidences. Everything, no matter how little it is, happens with a meaning, whether you know it or not." He had that small smile on his face that he normally only wore when he told the other about his high class grades from school and seemed oddly pleased to tell that the other.

"Well, she did say it to me quite a few times, but I never really took it serious. I mean, if everything has a meaning and an influence on your future, then everything has to be connected somehow, right? Sure, I it slips sometimes and I tell it some people without meaning it, but I don't really get it." he said, scratching his hair in shame. The mood of the middle schooler brightened even more at that and he held his head up high.

"It's so easy, I'm surprised you didn't get it yet!" He gave a little shrug and Minato had to take all the self-control he got to not smack this kid. As long as he is happy, it should be alright. "Everything you do has their consequences. If you buy your food or cook it yourself, decide to make your homework or to hang out with your friends, go to school or skip; everything affects your future, sometimes in ways that you don't expect. Like, if you go buy your food in the store, you might meet some new people, raise your social skills, see something that peeked your interest or your health and with that maybe your behavior could change over time. Technically speaking, everything happens from decisions and with a reason."

"But what if you go down a street and you meet someone you know, isn't that a coincidence?" He asked with one eyebrow raised. The shorter just gave him another sigh.

"Meeting that person resulted from you and the other deciding to go down there. Coincidences actually don't exist, they are created in people's minds when the don't know the reason for something that has happened. That you are here, that you met me; it all has their reason, whether you know it or not." he looked back up to the persona-user and noticed the frown on his face. "What's wrong?" Latter just huffed and turned away.

"That sounds so... scientific. I would have expected something like "It's because of magic" or "Someone controls everything" or something but that sounded like everything could be explained with science. It's kind of disappointing when you hear it from a bunch of summoners who do things that can't be explained by normal people on a daily basis."

"Well, you can't expect that magic has the answer of everything. The science of today is pretty advanced and solves most of today's problems and extraordinary phenomena. But I've got to admit that there are still things that can only be explained if you know about supernatural things like Persona, demons and magic. The apathy syndrome is just one of many examples." His mood seemed to drop for a moment and a little pout appeared on his face.

"You sound like you are disappointed that it doesn't." That elicited another sigh from the younger and named pulled his feet onto the bank and placed his chin on his knees.

"Well, since I'm not really good with magic, I never really got attached to it. It only reminds me of all of my failures of learning it. Believe me, I would choose science above magic any day." A small huff. "Man, Naoya-Ani got it sooo good! He's already off doing that cool programming job of his and doesn't have to handle the whole demon stuff!" The bluenette gave him a confused stare at that and the short boy swiftly elaborated. "He's my cousin. His parents died about ten years ago or so and lived with us since then. He moved out a few years ago to study programming and finished it in only one year! He is a true genius when it comes to this stuff! Even experienced professor say he has talent!" he had that odd gleam in his eyes as he spoke about that person and Minato had to wonder who exactly that Naoya was to make Saoto that proud to talk about him. Just when he was about to ask more about the topic he heard soft footsteps coming from down the stairs.

"Looks like someones visiting the shrine. Well, that's new." Minato mumbled as he watched the younger raise from his seat, arms stretched out to the sky and a lazy yawn making its way from his throat.

"There I thought I had time to relax for a bit. Well, guess there's no helping it, huh?" Just as he finished his sentences, he froze on his spot. The first thing the bluenette noticed were the odd shaped wires that stuck out from the persons head and the flowing blue hair. His eyes began to wander south and he then noticed the two big blue eyes and baby-like face. Although the hair was fairly long, it was obviously a boy and those big orbs blinked and him and he mirrored the gesture. Seems like he just found his doppelgänger. He turned back to his companion and narrowed his eyes as he saw the frown on his face. "Kouji. What are you doing here?" The boy looked like he wanted to come closer to them but the glare from the black-haired boy seemed to stop him.

"I-I'm here to ask you to come back home. I don't know what grandpa did to make you go away this time, but it can't continue like this! Mom and dad are worried because you just took off without telling us and live at a shrine now! I know that you can take care of yourself, you showed it many times with that training you do in the family shrine, but you are still only ten years old! As your older brother, I am responsible-"

"**Shut up!**" Kouji did as told and shrunk back a little as the younger Kirita's face was red because of rage. "Just leave me alone! I..." he balled his fists and calmed down a little, looking back up to his brother. "No matter how many times you ask and beg me to come back, I won't it was my decision to leave and until I think otherwise, I will stay here in Iwatodai. There's nothing you can do about that, Kouji-nii-san." He said in the most monotone way possible. The other boy made a small grimace but then shook his head and turned back to the stairs.

"Alright, have it your way. We just got a few free days back in Tokyo, so I'll be around for the week. I will come back in summer vacation. If you change your mind, I will be around in Paulownian Mall." And with that the boy descended the stairs, throwing uncertain looks over his shoulder. Neither of the two Gekkoukan students moved for a few moments. After some time, Minato just couldn't take it anymore and broke the silence.

"Saoto, are you alright?" The younger looked at him for a bit before slumping back down onto the bank, his eyes still fixed at the stairs.

"'m fine." was the grunted answer and the older teen grew a little distressed for a moment. The kid was obviously pissed off and he thought if he should leave him alone. Just when he was about to walk away, the smaller spoke up again. "Sorry you had to see this." he turned back to the middle schooler beside him and noted that his eyes were now directed toward the floor beneath his feet.

"It's fine. So that was your older brother you told me about?" he immediately regretted those words when he felt the boy almost bending the wood of the bank with only his hands.

"Yeah, Kouji Kirita. He's in his freshman year in high school right now. He doesn't know that..." he trailed off. Minato looked at the floor himself, his own fingers tightening around his seat.

"He doesn't know that Kage died. He probably doesn't even know that she existed, right?" he finished the sentences, memories of the girl coming back at him. He received a small nod as confirmation.

"It's the policy of the family. Although he is related to her directly by our father, it is not allowed to inform him about her death, especially if it was because of a demon. The government seems to notice the demons and certainly starts investigating who has contact to them. If people notice that the people died in quite an unusual way, then they will surely suspect our family and try to move us out of the way, since they think that they were dangerous and someone would try to use the demons against them." There was something similar to disgust inside his voice as he almost spat those words out. The bluenette raised another eyebrow.

"Yeah, but she died three years ago. Why did you wait to go until now? There has to be another reason!" the junior stated and the others expression grew even more grim.

"What are you talking about? There is no real reason, I just couldn't take it anymore to stay with them!" Koromaru, who had sat beside them all the time, whimpered when the short boy raised his voice.

"Is that the truth?" Saoto visibly flinched and grit his teeth. He still pressed on. "Did something happen recently in the clan that had ticked you off?"

"Well, they have fulfilled more and more summoning request to strange people, but that doesn't really concern me." he stood up again and walked toward the entrance of the shrine, Koromaru in tow. "I still have some homework to do, so I'll go now. See ya." And with that he was back inside his house. As Minato raised from his seat himself to return home, he saw a bunch of blue hair peeking from the entrance. When they noticed that they were being watched, they stepped out from behind the pillar and moved to the older bluenette.

"I forgot to give Saoto this." he handed him a black and blue envelope to the taller. "It's from our grandfather. He said that it is very important and that I had to him it to him personally, but he won't let me near him anymore. Could you give it to him next time you see him?" As he gave a curt nod as a reply, Kouji let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. If you had refused, I wouldn't have known what to do." His expression darkened similar like his brother before and he looked the summoner into the eye. "You are Arisato-san, right? You seem pretty close with my brother." Another nod. "Could you please take care of him? I don't know why, but grandfather raised him so that he rarely accepts help from other or lets them inside. Although we are brothers, we barely know each other since we live apart. Something has been bugging him lately, could you help him get it off his chest?" Minato thought about it for a moment and then nodded, making the other smile brightly. "Thank you very much! I have to go now but I hope will meet again!" When he was gone, the high schooler started walking back to the dorm himself.

"_**Thou art I... And I am Thou...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hanged Man Arcana!"**_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Now, as we agreed on Monday, we will now hold a meeting to discuss what we've learned." Yukari announced as she and Hamuko stood in front of the two guys, fists on her hips. Junpei gave a small chuckle.

"Wow, you're really into this." he said with a wink. The girl harrumphed and crossed her arms over chest.

"Of course! I've been able to gather lots of good info and it turned out that no angry ghost is involved."

"Oh, so that's what important!"

"Shut up! Now, Hamuko-chan, would you like present what you found out?" The red-head pulled out a small note book and began to read out loud.

"The first incident happened on may 30th. Soon after, two almost identical incidents happened. They shared the same circumstances as the ghost story and all three girls were hospitalized which created all the talk that has spread. All three victims have been known to have met while hanging out on the streets. Because they were all found in the same circumstances, it is believed that their cases are connected." She finished without taking a break.

"Well, that's a hell load of information."

"Now that we all are up to date, I decide we go onto a field research." Yukari took the lead again, a smug grin on her face. Junpei's, in return, turned shocked.

"Field research...? Wait, you don't mean the back street of Port Island, right?"

"Oh, you're familiar with it? The tree girls were regulars there, so that's the best place to go to find more detailed information about the case."

"Dude, you can't go there! I've heard some nasty rumors about that place!"

"Well, how about we all go together? That way, you don't have to worry and I don't think anybody would dare attacking us we are so many. How about it, Hamuko-chan?"

"I think we should do it. It sounds like an adventure!" the hyper Arisato answered, a bright smile plastered onto her face. The archer turned back to the boys and batted her her eyes at the bluenette who still sat on the couch.

"How about you, Minato-kun?" Before he could answer, Junpei had pulled him away a bit and whispered into his ear.

"Dude, you can't seriously think about going! The street is packed with thugs and people who can take us down within minutes! I know you are kinda strong but you won't be able to handle them!" His face was full of folds, showing that he was really worried.

"But if we don't go, then the girls will go alone and the might be good with her Personae, but I don't they will handle hand-on-hand combat by themselves. Especially Yukari, who is only good in magic and a bow. Come on, if we don't protect them, then who will?" That has raided the other speechless and he turned his head over his shoulder and smiled at their teammates. "We are coming with you!"

"Great! We will go tomorrow night, so be home on time!" The two females then ran up to their rooms, leaving only the boys behind.

"I still think that place is bad news."

"You don't really have a choice but come since I already said we are going."

"And if I just be out all day?"

"Then I will rake a pair of handcuffs and bind us together."

"You are really desperate to not be alone with girls, are you?"

"Very."

And just as they had all agreed on(Or rather Minato had decided for Junpei), the next evening they stood in front of their dormitory, ready to go on their little "Adventure".

"What's the hurry? I still think this is a bad idea. I mean, bringing two girls there is like going into a lions den with steak strapped onto your face. How can you be afraid of ghost but not of this?" The baseball-player complained yet again.

"It's easy to get freaked out by things you can't see, don't 'cha think?" Yukari asnwered as calm as can be.

"Actually, I'm more afraid of things I CAN see. Like BATS and KNIVES!"

"So, it is a little "Dangerous". Come on, it will be fun!"

"Yeah! An adventure!" Hamuko added as they began to walk to the station. The cap-wearing boy turned to his companion and gave a little sigh.

"More like a suicide mission." Minato just gave him a small punch onto the arm and began to walk himself.

"Come on, partner. I've got your back." In a matter of minutes, they arrived at the back alley not far from the station. The lamps were dimmed which made the atmosphere a little more scary, if it was even possible. But they had all experienced the Dark Hour, so there wasn't much that could have scared them more. Right after they stepped foot into it, some of the shady figures raised their heads, a smirk on his lips.

"Check out those rags. They are from Gekkou high." He said and walked closer to them. Junpei sighed again.

"Man, this even worse than I thought." but despite his words, he moved in front of the Arisato twins in a protecting gesture.

"You don't belong here... Get it? Beat it, goatee..." The thug from before said to Junpei, who at first didn't understand what he meant.

"G-Goatee..? Oh, you mean me." Yukari immediately retreated behind Minato.

"We don't need your permission to be here." She spat. Junpei swirled around to her, face stricken with horror.

"H-Hey! Are you nuts! Take a look around you!"

"I'm not blind, you know. Come on, don't be intimidated by these scum!" The face of the punk flared up in anger.

"What was that?" A girl on the sidelines gave a hysteric and annoying laugh before actually speaking up.

"She just called us "scum". Let's get 'em. Who cares where they're from! We'll post some pictures that will make her daddy cry! She'll wish she was never born!" she shouted almost loud enough that the rest of the city could hear her. Another girl laughed out loud like a chicken.

"Ahahahaha! That's so clever!" And then laughed out some more.

"Those guys are the worst..." Yukari said in a low voice but one of the thugs seemed to catch it. He stepped closer to the Magician Social Link and sneered. A flash of a vision jumped into the bluenette's mind but he didn't register what exactly it was until what happened next.

"You oughta learn to shut that trap of yours. Man, I feel sorry for you, Goatee. This bitch is a pain in the ass...HUH?" Before the other boy could warn him, the punk had already punched the taller junior into the stomach who then fell to his feet, wincing in pain. The thug then turned to Minato, the sneer still on his face. "What's with that look, pretty boy? Got anything to say before I beat you into a bloody pulp!" The younger boy flexed his fingers at his side a bit, ready to fight if he needed to. He hadn't spent five years learning Karate and then half a years with Kage's constant training to be beaten with a half-strong punk who doesn't know what to do with his raw energy. But before any of them could make contact with the other, a deep voice spoke up.

"That's enough." They turned their heads to the source of the voice and spot the guy from before in the hospital room standing their, leaned back and hands in his pockets. "They didn't know what they were getting into. I will make sure the leave. Alright?" He said, not in the least fazed by their behavior.

"Who do you think you are, dumbass! You want some too!" The beanie wearing senior just sighed, shaking his head.

"Do I have a choice?"

"That's it! You're goin' down!" He moved to hit the taller but before he could make contact, their Senpai simply headbutted him.

"Damn you, Shinjiro!" A friend of the punk shouted. "That's right... You're from Gekkou high, too, aren't cha! And I thought you were one of us!"

"What gave you that idea? I don't remember swearing a blood oath." He answered cooly. The dazed teenager on the floor raised to his feet again, face red.

"You son of a bitch! You just crossed the line! You think you're going home alive!"

"Sure do." Shinjiro answered, still not fazed. "Wanna give it a try?" There the thug seemed to panic and stepped back a little.

"Uh.. Oh, S-Screw this!" The girls just giggled in the background and with a hasty "You better grow eyes on the back of your head!", they were gone. Junpei, who had been kneeling on the floor all this time, stood up again and stared at their upperclassman, awe sparkling in his eyes.

"Wow, Senpai! That was awesome!" But the older didn't appreciate the compliment and growled at them.

"You idiots! Get outta here! This place isn't for you." he moved away from the team but Yukari stepped forward again, taking the lead.

"Wait! We came here for a reason!" She shouted and Shinjiro turned back to them, taking a good look at them in the bad light.

"You guys...you were at the hospital...did Aki tell you to come here? What do you wanna know? About that ghost story?" he asked and Hamuko stepped out the group standing beside her pink-clad friend.

"How do you know about that?" She asked and the older walked over to the stairs and sat down.

"It's a rumor. Those girls who wound up in the hospital were here talking shit every night about all the things they had done to some girl named Fuuka." That rang a bell in Minato's head.

"Fuuka..? You mean that Fuuka Yamagishi from 2-E? I read her name on the list when I searched for mine. They were picking on her?" he thought out loud and he received a nod for confirmation.

"That's why people are saying it's Fuuka's spirit that did it. I hear it's all over the 'net, too." Hamuko gasped.

"Fuuka's spirit? Wait, what do you mean by that?" Shinjiro gave them a confused look.

"You guys don't know? This Fuuka girl might be dead. She hasn't been home in over a week. Don't you guys go to school? How do you not know this?" he almost shouted at them and Junpei took a step back.

"Are you serious? I thought she was out sick...but she's missing?"

"So much for the ghost story. Mr. Ekoda is the homeroom teacher for 2-E, right? Does he know about this...?" Yukari said. Just in that moment, their upperclassman raised to his feet, some kind of realization stricken him.

"I get it Aki. Still trying to make up for the past. It's you who can't let go..." When he saw the confused faces of his Kohais, he quickly changed the topic. "Nothing. That's all I know. Satisfied?" Junpei and Minato both made a small bow in front of their Senpai.

"Yeah. Thank you very much, Senpai." the bluenette said in his usual quiet voice. The girls copied the gesture but Hamuko spoke up in her usual, cheery voice again.

"Thank you very much! You even gave us a hint! Not only cool and handsome but also kind!" She said probably without thinking and the tallest teenager raised an eyebrow, the hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"Oh, it's nothing!"

"Thc, just don't come here again." He then walked away, probably home. The juniors followed his example, but not before going to the pharmacy to get something for Junpei's pains.

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

Woot! Finally an Update! Sorry for the delay, so here was a extra long chapter for you! Now the story's speeding up a little. I also wrote a valentine special a while ago, I hope you read it. I also made a list on my profile for the Social Links, so check it out, 'kay?

**Review or my supreme army of fried prawn crackers will come to your home and you will eat so many of them, that you will be too fat to move our of the door!**

Your Shadow!


	17. Chapter 17: In the School at Night

Hey, I'm back! Now, this chapter is mostly stuff of the original, so if it bores you, I'm very sorry. I tried my best to make it more original, but I still had to copy some of the passages of the game.

There is also a cameo of one of the characters of the other MegaTen games again. See if you can find it!

Disclaimer: I don't own it, damn it!

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"Hey, Minato-kun. Would you like to come with us to the faculty office?" The bluenette looked up from his arms and his gaze met Yukari, his eyes still a little dazed from the nap he had just held. He tilted his head to the side.

"Why do I have to come with you? Can't you just go alone?" he asked still not understanding the situation. He saw his sister rolling her eyes from the corner of his eyes.

"Dude, don't you remember the info we got yesterday? You know, about Fuuka and Mr. Ekoda? We wanted to go and have a serious word with that man." Junpei answered in the archers stead. Minato remained unconvinced.

"And why does the whole group have to go?"

"Because it looks better if we are more people."

"Oh." Giving a small nod, the younger twin raised from his seat and followed the rest of their little investigation team out of the room. Soon they arrived at the faculty office. When they entered, an unusual sight greeted them. Inside were Mitsuru together with Mr Ekoda and a light brunette the bluenette recognized as someone of their year. Both the teacher and the junior sat in chairs, latter with her face buried in her hands.

"Huh? What are doing here, Kirijou-Senpai?" Yukari asked, surprise written all over her face. The student council president turned her head to them.

"Same reason as you." She looked back to the teacher. "Sir, I am here to talk to you about a student named Fuuka Yamagishi." Immediately the brunette hand snapped up to look at her.

"No!" She cried, scaring the shit out of the others. The girl looked back at her hands, totally lost. "I-I never thought it'd turn out like this... Fuuka..." Then, the archer of the team seemed to recognize her, too.

"Wait... You're that girl..." She whispered and it left the summoner wonder where she met her.

"What did you do to Yamagishi?" Mitsuru immediately asked but the brunette teacher stopped her from pressing on.

"Hold on, Mitsuru. This isn't an interrogation. Natsuki, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea."

"Fuuka... She... She always looked so flustered when I gave her a hard time...then I realized...she's an honor student, but deep inside, she's the same as us. I knew exactly which buttons to push...we were just messin' with her that day, too! May 29th... We took Fuuka to the gym... and locked the door from outside..." Everybody gasped in shock.

"What! You locked her in!" Junpei shouted in shock but Natsuki didn't seem to notice him.

"That night, Maki returned to the school alone. She was afraid we would get into trouble if Fuuka committed suicide. But she never came back... and the next morning..."

"She was found lying on the ground by the school gate..." The lovers Arcana finished for her.

"I went to the gym to let Fuuka out, but the door was still locked...so I opened it and went inside, but she wasn't there. We all freaked out. Starting that night, we went out looking for her...but every night, another one of us wound up missing...and they each ended up like Maki!" The information gatherer gave a small nod.

"I see..." She directed her eyes toward the teacher. "By the way, Mr Ekoda.. all this time, you've attributed Yamagishi's absence as "illness." But in reality, she was missing...you must have been aware of that. What was your intention?" Said person shifted so that his leg lay on his thigh.

"I was thinking of the students, of course. You children may not understand, but we have to consider the future of everyone affected." A red eyebrow was raised.

"You mean you chose not to report this to the police for the "good of the class"." That seemed to catch the adult off guard.

"It, it was in her best interest...I wouldn't want her records to be stained by something like this. Her parents agree!" Mitsuru seemed amused for a moment.

"So to protect your career, you ignored your responsibility as a teacher.. How despicable!" She spat at the man and he looked away in shame.

"I-I didn't...I was just..." But she paid him no mind and turned back to the junior in her set.

"About your friends.. Did you notice anything unusual before the incidents?" Natsuki hesitantly looked up again.

"They all heard a voice... A creepy voice...right before each of them went missing. They said it was calling their name..." Junpei groaned.

"Oh man.."

"Senpai, could it be...?" Yukari asked, uncertain.

"It's them, no doubt about it...until now, there was no way of knowing how or why some people are conscious during the Dark Hour...this whole thing made me realize they're clearly targeting humans. Shadows are the enemy of mankind." _Figures_, Minato thought but bit back that comment. The upperclassman turned back to the brunette in front of the teacher. "Stay at our dorm tonight. It's the safest place. If you hear the voice, tell us immediately. And don't leave the room, no matter what. If you can do that much, you should be okay. Don't worry, Yamagishi should be alright as well." She then directed her voice back to the persona-users. "We'll meet after school in the student council room to discuss tonight's operation." This time Hamuko was the one to gasp.

"T-Tonight?"

"We're going to rescue Yamagishi. If my guess is right, she's still inside the school."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"All set." Yukari said after she locked the door. All members of SEES were gathered and stood in a circle in the student council room as they had decided in lunch break. Mitsuru nodded and started to talk.

"Tonight, we will infiltrate the campus. Our objective is to rescue Fuuka Yamagishi." Their Magician looked confused for a moment.

"Um, I don't get it...is Fuuka inside the school somewhere?" The archer nodded in agreement.

"And why at night, at midnight, this place turns into-"

"Exactly. That was the way Yamagishi wandered into Tartarus." Everyone except Akihiko gasped yet again. Seemed to turn into habit of theirs.

"Then ever since Fuuka got locked in the gym, she's been stuck there?" Minato mumbled under his breath. Hamuko stomped her foot.

"But that was ten days ago! There are Shadows crawling everywhere inside the tower, so that means..." The team was overwhelmed by silence. No one dared to speak out that thought but it didn't make it less harsh.

"Not necessarily. We can't jump to conclusions." Akihiko announced and all heads snapped to him. "Tartarus only appears in the Dark Hour. So what about the rest of the day?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"This is only a theory, but I think time may function differently with respect to Tartarus. So even though it's been ten days for us, perhaps only ten hours have passed for her. It's possible she's still alive." he explained and Minato noted that he seemed pretty clever despite the fact that he is a jock. Not that he thought that every jock is stupid or something.

"Wow, ya think so? Uh, but the Dark Hour is pretty brutal...we can barely handle an hour, how's she gonna last ten?" Junpei said, his voice suddenly exited. But Yukari nodded sullenly.

"That's true... and even if she's still alive, we might not be able to get to her." She said, her voice betraying her doubts. The boxer snarled at her.

"Are you just gonna let her die then!" He shouted into the group, startling all of them. "I have an idea...let's try to enter Tartarus exactly how Fuuka did. We'll go to the gym and wait for midnight. That's the quickest way."

"Is this really going to work...?" Hamuko asked, just as doubtful as her friend. Mitsuru nodded.

"Honestly, I have reservations. If something goes wrong, you could all end up lost in Tartarus too. But-"

"I won't stand by and do nothing if there's a chance we can save her. I'd never forgive myself. If you don't want to go, then I'm going alone." He snapped at them, again surprising the rest of the group.

"Senpai...?" The bluenette whispered in a low voice and no one seemed to catch it. Their Empress stood still for a few moments but then gave a curt nod.

"...Alright. We're aware of the risks, but we can't just leave her there." she said, still not very convinced of the plan.

"Right! Like they say, "Wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt"!" Four confused pairs of eyes turned toward the red-headed junior, not understanding what she had just said. "Um, it means if you don't try, you won't win. I've been waiting to say that sentences." Their leader said, a soft tint of pink on her cheeks and Junpei gave a small chuckle.

"Way to ruin the mood."

"Anyway, go to the fourth floor later tonight. We will handle the finer points of our operation there." The council president said and left the room. The other soon followed until only the baseballer and Minato were left behind.

"Cool, we get to sneak into the school! In that case, I just know the right thing to do!" And then he exited the room, too. After briefly wondering if the student council meeting would be cancelled today, the bluenette, too, went home.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Shortly before 11 pm, the team stood inside the command room with Mitsuru in front of the gigantic screens, mobile in one of her hands. She hummed about but then let out a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong?" Akihiko asked, his voice not showing any concern. She turned to her classmate and let out yet another sigh.

"I can't get a hold of the chairman." she mumbled and closed her cell, letting it fall onto one of the many couches. Yukari just shrugged.

"I think we will be able to handle this on our own." She said, not worried in the least. But the red-head shook her head.

"But without the chairman, I don't see any way to get onto the school grounds." Junpei raised from his seat, a big smirk etched onto his face.

"No need to worry, I've got it all set to go!" Their informant raised one of her eyebrows.

"Set to go..?" She thought for a moment. "..An explosive?" Minato took a small step back in shock as their upperclassman chuckled. "Alright, I'll let you handle this." And the both Senpais left the room. The juniors gathered up together and gave the tallest of them a questioning look.

"An explosive..? Seriously?" Hamuko asked, her eyes narrowed. The older slightly leaned away from her but shrugged his shoulders.

"Nah... All I did was unlock a door..."

To their surprise, getting onto the campus was no problem. The lock at the front gate was easily picked by Minato(Something he learned from a good friend of his in Sumaru City) and thanks to Junpei's unlocked door, they got into the building without any difficulties. Now they stood inside of one of the halls on the first floor, heading toward one of the classrooms.

"See, we got in with no problem! Man, I'm a genius!" The bluenette rolled his eyes at the self-praise and the repetition. Yukari seemed to thin the same way, at least in the first matter.

"Is it really something to brag about...?" She asked in annoyance. But Mitsuru seemed impressed.

"You unlocked it earlier... Trés bien!" She said but the silverette of the team just sighed.

"No time for compliments, let's hurry." and then two upperclassmen entered one of the rooms, leaving the juniors alone yet again.

"What's the big deal, anyway?" The archer asked, still annoyed.

"Tray ben? What does that even mean? That's not English, is it?" Junpei asked but then they slipped into the room after the olders without giving an answer. The pink-clad girl squinted her eyes.

"Can we turn on the lights? It's so dark, I can't see my own feet."

"Aww, are you scared?" Their class clown taunted and the girl raised her voice.

"Shut up, Stupei!" she shouted probably loud enough for the people in new York to hear her.

"Keep it down! We don't want to get caught, so it's best to leave them off. They cut off the power at night, anyway." Akihiko scolded and Yukari shrank back a bit.

"I don't really like sneaking around.." She mumbled but Mitsuru just ignored her.

"First we have to find the key for the gym. Akihiko and I will go to the janitor's room. The rest of you will go to the faculty office. After that, we will meet in the main hall again, understood?" Junpei's eyes lit up in the dark.

"The faculty office, huh? Hey, maybe they'll have some test questions! Heheh..." The boxer seemed to consider it, too.

"...Maybe I should go to the Faculty Office too. It sounds interesting." he stated, ready to go. But oddly, their informant chuckled.

"Are you planning something unscrupulous under my supervision? If so, then expect to be severely punished."

"I-It was a joke! I would never do something like that! Ha, haha..."

"Come on, Mitsuru... Lighten up a little..." Akihiko desperately tried to calm her down but his hopes were crushed.

"Fine. Let's head out. Iori and Arisato-Outoto, you are coming with us." She said and Minato sunk into himself a little.

"Why me too?"

"Although you will probably don't do anything, I just want to make sure. Iori might have been a bad influence on you."

"And what if the girls do something?"

"Don't be ridiculous. They would never do that." _Is every girl on the world a feminist or do I just have rotten luck?_, the bluenette thought to himself but followed the rest of the group out nonetheless. He heard his sister and Yukari move to the faculty office and sighed. It didn't take long for them to reach the janitor room and both Senpais slipped inside. Both junior had nothing to do the next few minutes, so they engaged in senseless babbling.

"Hey, how high do you think is the possibility that the girls are all lesbians?" Junpei asked, successfully breaking the silence. The summoner stared at him for a few seconds, eyebrows raised.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know, lesbians. You surely know what that means, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I do, but what do you mean with that?"

"Well, I wonder if the girls like to-"

"Alright, let's stop it here. What I wanted to know was, where did that come from? And why the heck are you asking me this?"

"Well, they are always so tight together and even the suggestion that one of them might do something bad ticks them off. So I was wondering, no person would do it for someone who isn't very important to them, right? So I just thought that there must be something more to it."

"Junpei, this is still no reason to suggest that they could be lesbians. Maybe they are just good friends. Or they just think that it would insult themselves since they are all in the same boat. Or thy just truly trust each other. I mean, look at us. We are fiends and trust each other, but that doesn't mean that we are gay, right?"

"I know, I know. But damn, it would be so hot. I mean, the tree hottest girls in the school in a threesome, sinning together! You have to admit, imagining it does seem pretty arousing, don't you think?"

"Well, to be honest, I-"

"Are we interrupting something?" the two boys froze as they heard that voice. They slowly turned their heads towards Mitsuru, who was standing right in front of them, her arms crossed over her chest.

"N-No, it's nothing, Kirijou-Senpai!" The cap-wearing boy hastily said and together they moved to the meeting point. There, the girls were already waiting for them, big smiles on their faces.

"Did you find the key?" The Emperor asked, already expecting the answer.

"Sure did!" The older Arisato twin cheered, patting her eyes at the silverette. Junpei had that fat smirk plastered onto his face again and leaned closer to the archer of the team.

"You know, I hear a scream that sounded kinda familiar." Considering her reaction, she must really have screamed. "What, you actually did? I was just kidding."

"You want to make something out of it!"

"Keep it down!" Akihiko hissed, successfully calming them down, or at least stop their bickering.

"We'll divide into teams again. Four of you will enter Tartarus, and one of you will remain outside with me. Once the Dark Hour has begun, I'll determine Yamagishi's position." Mitsuru said and immediately the boxer stepped forward.

"I'll go." he turned toward Hamuko. "You should come, too, Arisato. You can take the lead as always."

"Well, then I will be the third-" Yukari began but was cut off by the baseballer again.

"Wait a second! Remember how I accidentally screwed up on the monorail? Give me a chance to make up for that!"

"Oh, come on! It's not always about you! Besides, you didn't "accidentally" screw up!" They continued the argument until Minato raised his hand, announcing his presence.

"It's no big deal, right? I can just stay outside and wait with Senpai, so both of you can go. It's not like I would be of much help, anyway." All heads snapped to him and then back to his sister. He couldn't see her because he stood behind the oldest male of the group but he could hear loud gulps from the rest of the group.

"Arisato-Outoto, maybe it would be best if you go, too. You might not be very strong, but you are fast and observant. Additionally, you can summon your demon friends that can help searching." Their informant said, eliciting relieved sighs from the remaining members of SEES. "As for you, Iori. You get your chance but I highly hope that this will not end the same way as last time. Do you understand?"

"Got it! I won't let you down!" The bluenette took a glace at the pink-clad wind user of the team and noted her grimaced expression.

"What's wrong, Yukari-chan? You don't want to stay behind with Kirijou-Senpai?" Apparently his sister noticed, too, but although her voice was sugar sweet, it couldn't completely cover her threatening undertone.

"N-No, it's fine." the girl stuttered in response, which was quite unusual as there were no ghosts involved.

"We should split up now. Takeba, come." And with that, the two girls were gone. The four teens also started walking to their destination, Minato and Junpei falling back a little.

"Did you saw how much Yuka-tan stuttered? I tell ya, they are lesbians." The shorter rolled his eyes.

"That again? I'm telling you, they are not and it's not like it's concerning us or anything."

"Then how do you explain the stuttering, Mister I-know-everything?"

"First, don't call me that. Second, did you not hear how Aneki threatened her? Seriously, even Superman would be stuttering if he had to be the target of her wrath." the other vividly paled and looked away from him.

"I-I don't know what you mean. Y-Your sister is one of the nicest persons I ever met in my life. Sh-She would never threat someone..." A blue eyebrow was raised.

"Now you are stuttering, too. Is there something wrong with-"

"Hey you two! We are already arrived and the Dark hour will begin soon! Now get your asses over here before we leave you behind!" They heard the object of the conversation shout at them from the end of the hall. The two teens hurried off into the gym and sat down onto one of the many utensils there. The younger Arisato looked at his wrist watch.

"One minute." He stated quietly and looked over to his teammates. His sister was putting together her new naginata, Junpei was experimentally swinging around his sword and Akihiko was nervously pulling on his gloves. The boy looked back to his wrist.

**3**

**2**

**1**

**Start.**

The first thing he noticed was that the floor shifter under his feet. Then his felt something pulling at his arms and legs, almost trying to tear him apart. When he looked around, the only thing he could see was green with a few spots of yellow and violet. Suddenly, he felt himself falling and darkness take over his senses. When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted with a normal floor inside of Tartarus in the second block. He looked around, but was not able to spot the rest of his party.

"Are you awake?" He quickly jumped to his feet, taking hold of Aoi Chou and spun around. He was surprised to find the kid from his room to stand behind him. "This is the first time we speak outside of your room, right?" Minato narrowed his eyes.

"How did you get in here? Don't you know that it's dangerous?"

"I told you, remember? I'm always with you...but we don't have much time to talk. Tonight there is more than one ordeal you must face. You should hurry...she's waiting for you. You guys will need her. Okay, then. I hope we can speak again..." And just like he had appeared, he vanished again, leaving no trace of his existences. The boy briefly wondered if he had finally gone insane but a short vision of his sister fighting made him get back to his senses. There is no time for that. He had to find the others now. It was dangerous enough in there in group but on his own, he didn't know if he would hold out long enough.

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

Woot! A new chapter in just one week! Looks like I am back again! Sorry I wasn't able to respond to any of the reviews lately, but school keeps me busy. I've been waiting since I started this story to write this part, since it is a very important turning point, both for the original storyline and my new one. I hope you enjoyed this one, too!

**Review or the next time you go outside, a gigantic apple will fall from the next tree you walk under and knocks you out!**

Your Shadow!


	18. Chapter 18: Second Fullmoon and The Sun

Welcome to a new chapter of Another Story! Alright, I will write it here, since every person has to look at the top to read further.

**Like you probably know, there has been a devastating earthquake in Japan. Most of you probably think that there's nothing you can do, but there is!**

**The gaming Group Sakevisual is gathering donation this week to send them to Japan! If you can, please donate something! Plus, if you send more than 5 $, you get a free game and discount to the next one that comes!**

**Link: **http:/ www. Sakevisual .com /support .html

Now that that's done, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Never owned the series, probably never will.

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

"_Ar-...you alr-?" _Minato had to strain his ears to make out what Mitsuru said on the communicator. Although he understood the basic info, most of the sounds were still just static. _"..distance... too... fa-. Can- provide... back u-. …. You got... sepe- from Aki-."_ Silence followed and the bluenette let out a sigh of frustration. If that went on, then he would be stuck inside just like Fuuka. He quickly made his way around the corner and dodged the wind attacks that were coming from the Shadows. With two strikes of Aoi Chou, only clouds of black mist were left and he continued his search for the stairs. He was about to turn another corner when the connection jump alive again. _"Aki- and- are not- floor..."_ As soon as it came it broke off again.

"_Who's there..? Are you human?" _He immediately stopped in his tracks and looked around. No one was there, not even a Shadow. That voice, he knew it from somewhere. Momentarily pushing those thoughts away, he moved onto the next floor. The moment he entered, his Senpai contacted him again.

"_Wha- is your... current loca-? Ans- imm-"_

"_Where am I? Why am I here? Please answer me..."_

Then it was cut off again. That voice, it was definitely a girls voice and it was much clearer then Mitsuru. Was someone hacking their communicators? The summoner ran down the floor. He didn't expect the Garu attack from his left.

"Ugh!" Minato quickly jumped back to his feet, one hand clasped onto his forehead. Blood was gushing out of it and he didn't really have the nerve, nor the time to handle his foes. The Soul dancer made its way over to him and stuck with its rapier but the bluenette quickly jumped to the side. He pulled a little bomb from the little bag he always wore, threw it at the monster and made his escape. After making a few turns and running as fast as he could, he pulled his hand from his face and examined the wound. He didn't lose as much blood as he thought he had and it wasn't really deep. Looks like he doesn't have to summon Orpheus just yet. He pulled out his summing cards and frowned. The pictures turned black and even the names vanished. Looks like he won't be able to summon his friends, either. He walked around some more, this time not letting his guard down.

"_Can y- please ans-"_

"_Is someone there? Please answer me...?"_

The Fool sprinted up the stairs, all the while barely dodging attacks. When he finally came out on the top, he heard muffled cries from further down the hall. He followed the noises and he spotted none other than Akihiko, Junpei and Hamuko arguing over something in one of the rooms. When the black-haired junior spotted him, his face changed from annoyed to relief and then concern.

"Dude, what happened to your face!" the younger Arisato touched his cheek and noticed that he hadn't wiped away the blood and that it was now building a brown crust on his face. His totally cut up clothes probably didn't add much to the quote 'I-m fine' either.

"I just ran into a bunch of Shadows and one hit me on the head. It's not deep and I didn't lose that much blood, so I should be fine." he answered with a shrug. To his surprise, his Senpai walked over to him, forcefully grabbing his head from both sides.

"It doesn't matter if it isn't deep or you didn't lose much blood! If you don't heal it quickly enough, it could get infected!" He pulled out a tissue and a cream from his own pockets and began rubbing of the half dried substance from the youngers face. "You look like a mess! You should really take more care of yourself, Arisato-Outoto. You were lucky that you were able to get away from them, but it could have been worse. Why didn't you just summon your little servants?"

"I-I've tried, but it doesn't work. The cards turned black and I can't hear their voices anymore. It was not like the Shadows were that hard, anyway." He had difficulties speaking with the taller rubbing the piece of paper on his cheek and spreading the ointment onto his forehead. When they were done, a band-aid was glued onto his face just above his eye brow like the one the older constantly wore. "Why is it that every time I'm with you that I feel like some kind of kid?" he asked, rubbing his cheek with his own sleeve now.

"Anyway, I don't think we should ever enter Tartarus this way again. We were worried sick about you." the silverette said, not minding the comment. Junpei perked up a little.

"Oh yeah! Did you hear a voice while you were in here? Uh, kinda like..."

"Who is this..? Are you human?"

"Th-that's it! That's the voice! It sounded like it came from behind us!" A quiet rustle could be heard from behind them and Minato jumped a little when he caught a glimpse of light green hair.

"Are you Fuuka Yamagishi?" Hamuko asked, her eyes wide in surprise. The girl gave a shy nod.

"Y-yes..."

"Wow, you're alive! That's awesome!" The Magician shouted maybe a bit too loud. "never fear, Junpei's here! Glad you're okay, but you better come with us now." Fuuka walked over to the small group and fell to her knees.

"Thank you so much... I..."

"Looks like we made the right decision. I'll contact Mitsuru." The oldest of the team turned away from them and the green-haired girl looked up as the bluenette crouched down to her.

"Where are we..? I was at school and then..." The summoner scratched the back of his head.

"It's... a pretty long story. But don't worry, we will explain it to you after we got out of here." he offered her a hand and she gladly took it, letting him pull her to her feet. The baseballer beside him looked somewhat uneasy.

"Mitsuru, can you hear me? ...no good, all I hear is static."

"Oh, right. Fuuka-san, are you hurt? Did you run into one of those monsters?" The red-haired Arisato asked her, making her raise her hand to her lips in thought.

"So there **are **strange creatures in here, then... But I've been able to avoid them so far..."

"Really? How is that possible?" the younger twin asked, almost jumping with curiosity.

"Umm, it's hard to describe, but...I can sort of tell where they are.."

"She has the same power as Mitsuru... Maybe even stronger, since Mitsuru's Persona is more battle oriented." he walked closer to her and pulled out an extra Evoker from his pocket. "Hang onto this."

"B-But this is...!"

"Think of it as a lucky charm. It's not really a gun. Alright, let's get outta here!" He then took the lead and led them to an outer hallway of Tartarus, hopefully leading them to an access point. They stopped for a moment and looked at the sky outside.

"Wow, check out the moon! It's so bright!" Junpei said in awe.

"Some research indicates that the Shadows are affected by the phases of the moon. Of course, the same can be said for humans." Akihiko explained and Minato chuckled lightly.

"That would explain Yukari-san's mood swing, though I think it has other reasons."

"Wait a second, wasn't it also a full moon when we went to the monorail?" Hamuko wondered.

"Was it? Hey, Arisato-Outoto, do you remember seeing the moon the night the dorm was attacked back in April?" the bluenette bit his thump in thought.

"Now that I think about it, I think it was a full moon." His eyes widened. "But that means-!"

"Yes, all the incidents happened around the same time every months... The big Shadows always attack on the full moon!" The senior snatched his communicator. "Mitsuru! Are you there!" Only static greeted him.

"_Akihiko- Shadows-"_

"Hey, can you hear me! Mitsuru, come in!"

"_Be carefu-"_

"Mitsuru? Mitsuru!"

"W-What is this thing...?" All eyes turned to Fuuka as she fell to her knees again. "It's so much bigger than the others here... And it's attacking someone...!"

"Damn it! We have to find the access point. NOW!"

"Whoa! What's going on!" Junpei asked, still not getting the situation. Hamuko slapped him over his head.

"Didn't you listen just now? Every Full Moon, the big Shadows appear! And tonight it's a full moon!"

"So that means-"

"Yes, that means that Yukari-chan and Senpai are on danger! We have to get down before it's too late!" they soon found a transported and hurried to jump into it. They arrived not a second too soon. When they arrived at the entrance, Yukari was lying on the floor, Mitsuru's wracked bike not far from her and its owner in the grasp of one of the gigantic Shadows that were standing on the other side of the room. One of them was formed like a ball with a cape and a stick on top. It held a scepter in one of its arms and a crown-shaped mask on its (supposedly) head. The other was more of a turned up bottle. It had broad shoulders and on its box-formed head was also covered with a crown-shaped mask. In one of its long arms it carried a short sword and with the other it held their red-haired Senpai.

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko shouted as he came closer to the creatures. The archer gave a groan from the floor.

"Ugh, none of our attacks worked on those things..." just as she said that, the team heard a click coming from the door and soon a dazed Natsuki entered the lobby and fell to her knees.

"..Moriyama-san!" Fuuka quickly ran over to her. "Please, get out of here! It's dangerous!" Still a little out of it, she looked up to the shorter girl.

"I... I wanted to say... I'm sorry..." Hearing the noise, the ball formed Shadows began to walk over to the two girl. The green-haired junior gasped. On instinct, she grabbed the Evoker from her pocket.

"Wait! That's not a weapon!" Minato shouted at her. She didn't budge.

"_I know...!" _The bluenette froze. She did not just say those words... She... She **transmitted **them into his mind...! The next moments were happened almost to fast to comprehend. The seemingly female Shadow raised its scepter, ready to kill the two girls. At the same time, Fuuka raised the artificial gun to her temple. She hesitated for a heart beat but then finally pulled the trigger. A bright blue fog wrapped itself around her and a ball was build out of it. The stick of the Shadow harmlessly jumped back from it, knocking the creature back into the taller one, making latter let go of Mitsuru in the process. When Minato took a closer look at the figure, only the lower body was a ball. The torso was that of a beautiful young woman with blond hair and bandages wrapped around her eyes.

"Mitsuru!" He snapped out of his daze at Akihiko's voice. He quickly joined his sister beside Yukari.

"I'm fine." Their Senpai assured. "Be careful. Normal attacks won't work on these Shadows. And all of our instruments have been destroyed." She tired to sit up but the taller stopped her.

"Stay still! Besides..."

"_I can see..." _The red-heads eyes widened.

"Is that... the voice...?"

"_I can sense those monsters' weaknesses, somehow!"_She whispered in her quiet voice. Junpei gasped.

"For real?"

"Just as thought. Mitsuru, let her take your place." The aforementioned nodded.

"I get it now. Yamagishi, could you assist the others?"

"_I'll do my best!" _Hamuko stood up again and raised her naginata.

"Get ready, boys! Let's show those Shadows who's the boss around here!" She shouted and rushed into battle, followed by the rest of the team. Akihiko ran up to the taller one, giving it a hard punch. To his surprise, it didn't have any effect. Minato summoned Orpheus. Fire balls were thrown at the round Shadow, still to no avail. The female Arisato let out a little groan in frustration. "Fuuka! We need an analyze of both of them and do it as fast as you can!"

"_Roger! Just give me a moment!"_Came the answer in their heads and the girl moved to attack herself. She slashed the female one with her blade, eliciting a sharp cry out of it. It staggered a bit but then the ball like being moved to summon a spell which was swiftly prevented from a kick of Hermes and the red-head turned to the sword-wielding monster. Her brother was already there, throwing all the fire based attacks he knew at the foe, successfully slowing him down. He was supported by their Senpais Zio attacks.

"_Alright, the round one is weak against physical and the tall one is weak against-" _Just as she said that, the two Shadows raised their respective weapons. Bright lights appeared around them and fully swallowed them for a moment. The greenette gasped. _"Their properties changed! I will try to analyze them again as fast as I can!" _Her voice blended out again. The summoner of the team experimentally unsheathed his sword and took a swing at the female monster. It was blocked easily. When he looked over to the other Shadow, he saw that the magical attacks of the others didn't have any effect either. When he tried to concentrate on his own foe, a hard blow of wind hit him. Giving out a strangled yelp, the boy was thrown to the floor. He heard a high pitched shriek. When he looked up, he saw his sister trying to hit the Shadows with her ice attacks, still not getting any other reactions other than some annoyed hitting into her main direction. He dazedly sat on his knees when the soft thumping of the transmission came back. _"I got the info! The small one is weak against electricity attacks! The bigger has no real elemental weakness, but if you his it on the small of its back, then it should do the trick!" _A big smirk graced the face of the leader of the group.

"You heard that, guys?" She cried at her teammates and Akihiko raised his Evoker.

"Already at it!" He shouted back at her and summoned Polydeuces. The humanoid persona raised its arms and threw a bright lighting at the round ball, catching it of guard. The taller Shadow didn't like that at all and began randomly hitting some of their party, but luckily no one received a direct hit. Junpei jumped ahead of them with his sword raised.

"My turn!" he cheered and ran around the monster, slashing it clean into the back. With a loud cry, it also fell to the floor. Minato raised Aoi Chou again.

"Aneki! Let's bring an end to this!" he demanded to his sister. When she gave him a curt nod, he and the rest of the team rushed to the fallen enemies. "You're going down!" he shouted as thumps and cracks filled the air. When the cloud of dust finally lifted, the two Shadows gave out a loud squeal of pain and turned into the usual black fog. The bluenette turned back to the other girls of the team, noticing that Mitsuru and Yukari were already up to go and Fuuka called back her Persona.

"A-Are there more of them...?" The honor student stuttered. Their leader gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, it's over." She said, and the girl sighed in relief.

"Fuuka, you..." All eyes turned to Natsuki who was still crouched down behind the new Persona-User. Green eyes were immediately filled with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked, panic obvious in her voice. When she received a small nod, another sigh of relief escaped her lips. "Thank goodness..." And then the next thing they knew, the girl lay on the floor. Minato ran up to her, checking her pulse. Natsuki was similarly horrified but Mitsuru calmed them down.

"It's alright. She's just exhausted." She assured them but the brunette stayed put. Akihiko looked up at his classmate.

"Where did the Shadows come from?"

"From somewhere outside of Tartarus, just like before..."

"I see..." The archer of the team looked around in the group, a little uncertain.

"Um, what are we gonna do about Natsuki? She saw the Dark Hour, and the Shadows..." She asked but the boxer gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry. She's not like us, so she won't remember any of it. The good news is she didn't fall victim to the Shadows, even though she obviously heard their call. She should be safe from now on."

"But that means that she'll forget that Fuuka-san saved her life, right?" Hamuko asked, a little sad. Their red-headed senior gave a rare smile.

"Actually, I don't think it matters." They all looked at the brunette girl who still sat beside Fuuka's collapsed form, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Fuuka... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...!"

"I think she learned her lesson." After they had brought the two girls home, the moved back to the dorm themselves. The Dark Hour would be over soon anyway. When they arrived, everybody went their way into their respective rooms. Minato was about to go, too, when he felt a firm hand grasp his wrist. He spun around to see Hamuko with a from expression on her face. Without waiting another second, she dragged her brother up the stairs. At first, the boy didn't even know what was happening. His sister... His sister that had been ignoring him for the last **ten years**... was willingly touching him..? Before he knew it, a door was opened and he was thrown onto the bed. He took a quick look around him and immediately noticed that it was not his own room. While the walls of his room were painted in a gentle brown, this one was practically bathed in red. Red table, red walls, red sheet, hell, even the TV was red! He flinched when he heard a lock fall into place and foot steps coming toward his direction. In a blink of an eye, his shirt, jacket and sword were thrown to the floor and two surprisingly strong hands pushed him into the mattress. Those hands roamed his chest for bit before they flipped him over and repeated the ministration on his back. After several minutes, a loud sigh of relief escaped the girl.

"Good. Except for that cut on your forehead, you have no serious injuries. I think there will be no need to use any spells." The boy felt her weight lift from the bed and he looked up to his older sibling as she picked up his clothes.

"Aneki..." he started but she cut him off as she held up his stuff.

"Get dressed and ready for bed. After that get up here again. Since I don't know what kind of stupidities you would do if I left you alone, you will sleep with me here." his eyes widened.

"B-but boys are not allowed to be inside a girls room!" he protested as he pulled on his shirt but Hamuko just snorted.

"We are twins! It's not like we would try anything. Now get going. I will get ready myself." He gave her a hesitant nod and moved to the door. "Wait." He turned back to her but he didn't see her face. "The next time we are going somewhere, don't step away from my side. I'm used to it but the others would be scared to death if you hurt yourself again." He gave another nod, not sure if she saw it, and moved out of the room. In an instant, the world turned into the grey that was slowly turning into a routine. He couldn't stop the small smile that made its way onto his face.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Sun Arcana!"**_

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There, finally done! To be honest, I had 2/3 of the chapter already done when I uploaded the last one, but it took the rest of the week to write the fighting scene. I recently began to watch Young Justice (On the internet, since we don't get ANY American channels over here) and noticed that it was more serious that Teen Titans. A lot more. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Hamuko and Minato finally started a Social Link! What will happen next!

**Reviews are always welcome and who does, gets a virtual sushi roll!**

Your Shadow.


	19. Chapter 19: Grandfather and Butlers

Shadow again! I'm back! On full force! I recently got an interest in DC comics, and I have to say that I think that the batman series is the best! Especially with Dick Grayson... "Drooling"... Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

**Warnings! There is a failed fight ahead and a poorly described character! **

**By the way, I'm still searching for a beta-reader! If anyone would be as kind as to do that for me, I would really apreciate it!**

Disclaimer: I think you pretty much get the idea.

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6/11/2009 Thursday After School **Gekkoukan High – School Court**

"Yo Yuka-tan. What's with that scowl on your face?" Junpei asked as he walked up to the girl. Hamuko, too, came closer to her.

"He's right, Yukari-chan. What's wrong?" She asked, concern obvious in her voice.

"It's nothing. Just..." He sighed. "I just wonder if Mitsuru saved Fuuka because we couldn't leave her or because she's a Persona-user and we need her..." Her classmates eyes widened.

"Why are you asking something like that? She did it for her won sake of course!" She gasped and the brunette shook her head.

"You're right. It was stupid. Just forget about it. Whether she joins or not is up to her, anyway. Sorry to bring it up out of the blue." Minato, who had been standing behind his sister all this time, looked up from is music player.

"Speaking of which, Sanada-Senpai told me this morning that Yamagishi-san is being released from the hospital today. He asked me to tell you that we are meeting up at the dorm this evening to ask her to join." He mumbled, all eyes snapping to him. Junpei groaned.

"They are telling us that now? They could have really warned us or something. Well, it's not like I have anything to do, anyway." he turned to the girls. "How about you, ladies?" They tilted their heads in unison.

"I don't have training today, but I wanted to hang out with my friends today. How about you, Hamuko-chan?" Yukari asked and looked at their leader.

"I don't have training either nor do I have a student council meeting. But I wanted to meet up with that little girl I met at the shrine." She answered and looked over to her younger twin. "You are coming, too, Blueberry." The baseballer waved his hands for a moment.

"Wait a second! You can't just drag him around, you know. He got his own life and he probably wants to live it, too. Why do you want to always take the little guy with you, anyway?" the girl turned away from him.

"Well, his summoning is coming very handy and it would be a bother for the whole team if he were to be hurt, right?" She muttered, not showing her face.

"Well, if it's just that, how about a deal? I will take Minato around and you do your stuff. That way he doesn't have to follow you and you can be sure that he is safe." the Magician suggested and Hamuko's head snapped back at him, her eyes narrowing.

"Why are you so desperate to let him do what he wants?" She hissed, suddenly annoyed.

"I'm just saying that he's a guy. And a guy needs time for himself sometimes. I mean, you go into the same classes, eat together, go shopping together and he follows you to your activities. Hell, you two are even sleeping in the same room together. I still wonder how you got Kirijou-Senpai to agree to it." He scratched his goat beard a little before snapping back to reality. "Anyway, you should give him a little room. The little guy can take care of himself and when things get bad, the rest of the team can, just stop dragging him around with you. Seriously, I bet he doesn't like going out with you and your girl friends and discuss how hot the newest pop star is." That seemed to render her speechless and Hamuko turned away from the boys once again. The juniors just stood there for a few moments but after Yukari whispered something into their leaders ear, she gave them a stoic nod and walked off, the brunette close on her tail. The two Persona-Users just stood there for a moment before the bluenette spoke up.

"Well, how about we go to the book store? There is that new manga I would like to buy."

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"You're Fuuka Yamagishi, right?" The chairman asked as the girl entered the command room. She shrunk back a little.

"Y-Yes." the greenette stuttered, earning a chuckle out of the adult.

"Relax, there's no need to be nervous. Why don't you have a seat?" The girl did as told and he turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone, you did an excellent job uncovering the truth. I also wanted to let you know that the three girls have regained consciousness. From what I understand, they each came to school around midnight and waited for the security guard to leave. They were attacked by Shadows near the gate, as the Dark Hour began. However, the facts became twisted because of rumors concerning a ghost story." Their newest Persona-user shrunk back even more.

"It's all my fault... I made so many people worry..." She mumbled and Yukari shook her head.

"Don't say things like that! You were the victim!" Mitsuru raised from her seat on the coach and moved to the frail junior.

"We wouldn't have been able to win that fight if it weren't for you. You saved our lives. You should feel good about yourself. You have a special power that you can use to help others. We call it "Persona". You could be a tremendous help to us. Will you lend us your strength?" She held one of their club badges out to her. Fuuka looked up to her, a little uncertain.

"Are you... asking me to join?"

"You know, we're not trying to pressure you, so if you need some time to think about it..." Hamuko joined the conversation but the other girl cut her off.

"I'll do it."

"A-are you sure? If you join, you'll have to live here..." Yukari asked surprised but the sickly junior just gave her a small smile.

"That's fine. I'd rather live here than at home anyway."

"We really appreciate this. We'll have the school talk to your parents, to resolve any issues." The student council president said, but the archer raised her voice again.

"Wait a minute, aren't we dragging her into this a bit fast?" Fuuka looked a little nervous again.

"It's alright, really..." she mumbled in a low voice, but no one seemed to notice it beside Minato who was sitting right beside her.

"Now then... Those special Shadows showed up again. We still don't know where they're coming from, but Akihiko is right about one thing...their appearances seem to coincide with the full moon. We'll take that into consideration from now on." Junpei grinned at that.

"So they're kinda like werewolves then, huh?" He joked but Akihiko looked at him with serious eyes.

"It's a big advantage to know when to expect them. Now, on the day of the fight we'll be ready to get in the ring." he said and the bluenette watched his teammates raise from their seats and leave the room. Yukari had looked unusually bothered just now. He moved his eyes to Fuuka who was slowly standing up and observing him. He got to his feet, too, and offered her a hand, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Well, welcome on board I guess. I'm looking forward to work with you." She froze for a moment and her cheeks got a rich red color. A few minutes passed without any reaction and he thought he might have scared her off but then she took his hands and shook it, not looking the boy in the eye.

"Y-Yeah, m-me too." And then she ran out of the door. Minato just stood there for a few moments, not really getting what just had happened before shrugging his shoulders and going down into the kitchen.

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6/12/2009 Dark Hour **Dorm - Minato's Room**

"Do you remember what I told you?" Minato slowly opened his eyes to meet the bright blue ones of the child on his bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes a bit before sitting up. "About the end, I mean. I remembered something. That End is unavoidable. But it's strange. When I am with you, it feels like that everything is possible." He dangled his legs a bit before jumping off the mattress. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again. You are very interesting." the small boy was about to vanish again when the bluenette spoke up.

"Can you tell me your name?" The short kid looked surprised. "You've been visiting me for a while now and you helped me and my friends out quite often now. Yet, I don't even know your name." He mumbled a bit sleepily but the child seemed to understand him nonetheless.

"That's right... I need a name..." The shorter tilted his head the side and thought for moment. Then a bright smile took over his face. "I got it! Pharos!" He held out his small hand. "You can call me Pharos. Nice to meet you!" Minato took and immediately he froze. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he felt something dark crawl up his arm.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Death Arcana!"**_

As fast as it came, it was gone again, he hesitantly let go of the others hand as he waved him Goodbye.

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The next day, he had finally convinced his sister to let him go around alone and wouldn't jump off the Moonlight Bridge. He swiftly jumped up the steps to the shrine two at a time. It has been a while since he had last visited Saoto with everything going on and he couldn't wait to see him again and tell him about the mission. When he arrived at the top, he almost wished that he had taken a little more time. Just in front of the offertory box was the short brunette with an odd old man standing in front of him. The adult wore an odd black military jacket with red sleeves and a brown scarf was thrown over his shoulders, which was odd considering the students already wore their summer uniforms. A black canine sat beside him. As he got closer to the two, he saw the angry expression on his underclassman's face.

"How often do I have to tell you until you get it! I won't come back to you!" The short boy shouted, his eyes changing colours from his warm chocolate brown to a deep red. The man didn't seem fazed.

"You are the rightful heir of the clan, since it was your sister who had been the last. Although you are not very strong, that can be easily corrected with demons. The only thing you need now is the sword. You know where it is, don't you?" The tallest asked in an oddly deep voice. Minato stopped walking and observed the interaction of the two. He wanted to intervene but something was holding back.

"Stop shitting me! I won't come back! You are the reason that Kage fucking died in the first place! If it weren't for you, then she would be alive and we would all have a normal live where there is no chance that demons come and slit our heads off! What if the next time you summon one, it kills me? You would probably just sit there and not tell a soul, right? There will also only be a small ceremony in the dark and then I am forgotten!" he shouted in an unusual loud voice. The bluenette blinked. That was the first time he had heard the boy swear so openly.

"That was a mistake, I admit that. But you said so yourself: It was a very long time ago and you are over it. So why do you so stubbornly refuse to come back if that's the only reason? We could change it so your family will know what happens with you, so what is holding you back?" The brunettes face formed an grimace at the very same question the older teen had asked him a while before. He angrily looked away.

"That won't change anything. I won't come back to you." He hissed under his breath. There, the junior couldn't take it anymore.

"Just what is wrong with you!" he shouted from the top of his lungs and the two others looked at him in shock, not having noticed that he had been listening in on their conversation. "I get it if you are angry that they had let Kage die, but that isn't the issue here! You are just being stubborn and not telling us the real reason you don't want to go back! Her death is just an excuse so you can run away!" the boys eyes snapped up to him, completely caught off guard.

"N-No, it's because they had let her die... That's the only reason..."

"Saoto, ask yourself. Maybe it had begun with her death, but why now? What was it that's truly bothering you? What has recently happened to set you off?" he tried in a softer and calmer voice. Saoto bit his bottom lip, almost drawing blood from it. The man's eyes wandered between the two teens and he then looked at the dog (or wolf) at his feet who seemed to nod.

"I see that you two have your differences that need to be sorted out. I will come back another day. Saoto, as your grandfather, I sincerely want that you take over the clan and lead it into a new golden era. Until we meet again." He pushed past the blue-haired persona-user and left the shrine, his black partner hot on his heals. The junior looked up to his friend to see him trembling, his hands formed to fists.

"Saoto-"

"Just... Just leave me alone for a while..." He turned around and moved to the residential area of the shrine. "There... is some stuff I need to think over." And then he was gone. Koromaru, who had been sitting on the sidelines all this time, trotted over to him and the young Arisato leaned down to him and patted him between his ears. The dog gave out a pitiful whimper.

"Hey, you think I was a little too harsh on him?" The canine pawed his pant leg and leaned into his hand. "So you don't think that I am an total arse? Thank you, little one." After he had played with the dog for a while, he finally went home. When he arrived, he noticed Fuuka sitting on the couch, laptop on in front of her.

"Hi, how was you day, Arisato-kun?" she asked, a shy smile on her face. He returned it.

"It was fine. I see that they already moved your stuff upstairs?"

"Yeah, it's not really homey yet, but I'm sure it will change over time." She looked back at the screen of her computer when she remembered something. "Oh, right. Hamuko-chan wants to go to Tartarus tonight. Are you coming? If not, I can tell her that you can't." Minato considered it for a moment. A bunch of things had happened that day. He had seen how Saoto snapped, met his seemingly grandfather and talked to a dog. To be honest, all those things had made him very exhausted, both physically and mentally. But that didn't really excuse to not go to Tartarus when the team obviously wanted to. After a few moments of silence he gave the greenette a curt nod.

"Sure, I'll be up in my room until then."

"Alright. Please be on time." He moved up the stairs and into his room, flopping onto his bed like a marionette who's strings have been cute off.

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"Alright, everybody! Since Fuuka-chan is ready to help us and Kirijou-Senpai is ready for combat, let's go and take out a few Shadows!" Hamuko announced as she stood in front of the team in the lobby. Her brother gave a wary glace around the group as all of them cheered. They really seemed to like to fight those monsters. "Alright! Up we go!" She stepped into the teleporter and was soon followed by the rest of their teammates. The bluenette was about to go, too, when he felt a warm, gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Wait." he turned to see Akihiko standing there, his face a little red. "I bought two pairs of boxing gloves by accident. And since I don't want them go to dust in my room and no one else beside you seems to know anything about boxing... here." The silverette pressed two bright, red gloves into his hands. The boy noted that they were the same colour of the olders vest.

"But I'm sure Kurosawa-san would give your money back if you had asked. Why would he let you buy two pairs if it's obvious that you are the only one using them, anyway?" before he could get an answer, he heard a loud shout from behind him.

"If you two don't hurry, we will leave you behind!" he heard Junpei shout and slipped Aoi Chou out of his belt.

"Just a sec!" he called and then hurried over to Fuuka. "Sorry, but could you take care of this? I have to hurry." After she took it, he slipped on his new gloves and jumped through teleporter, Akihiko close behind him. The rest of the team was impatiently waiting for them but their faces got surprised when they saw that he had left his swords.

"Huh? Why the boxing gloves, Minato-kun?" Yukari asked a little wary. He just gave her a shrug.

"Sanada-Senpai gave them to me. I thought, if I have them now, why not try them out?" the topic was quickly dismissed after that. Although he did not miss the uncertain glaces that wandered from him to the upperclassman form his sister. He must have got her really bad. As it turned out, he wasn't bad with his fists and it somehow felt more naturally for him with his natural speed. The enemies were not horribly hard to fight because of their big group and they soon found themselves on one of the floor with a two way teleporter.

"_There are three powerful Shadows in the center of the floor. Please be cautious!" _Fuuka said through their telepathic link. The team moved on, then face-to-face with three gigantic beetles. _"Good luck everybody!" _The three monster gave out sharp cries and then tried to hit him with it's horn. They team quickly shattered in the room and everybody raised their respective weapons.

"I guess analyzes are not coming on this one. Everybody! Try out all the elemental attacks you have!" Their leader shouted at them and they obliged. The next minutes, magical attacks flew around, none of them having a great affect on their foes. When everybody thought that they would have to do it with brute force, a lightning struck, making one of the bugs fall onto its back.

"Looks like it's weak to electricity attacks." Akihiko said as he repeated his actions. A light bulb popped out above the younger Arisato's head.

"I got it! Come forth, Oberon!" The king of fairies appeared in front of him, his tiny sword raised and his head low in respect. "Please use Mazio on them!" The emperor did as told and again big lightning struck the enemies. A small smile appeared on his lips. "Aneki! Let's strike now!" he demanded and only a few seconds later the group was engaged in the striking and hitting that was slowly turning into a routine for them. When the cloud of dust was blown away the enemies were, too, as black mist. They relaxed a little and Hamuko turned to speak with them again.

"Alright, let's spread out and search the area. There have to be some chests around here." Everybody gave her a nod and they split up into pairs. Minato was lucky to get Akihiko and they started a friendly conversation as they searched for items.

"So, what do you think about boxing?" The boy shrugged.

"It's fun. Since I am pretty fast, it balances my lacking strength. But I have to say, I'm more used to using a sword, so I might stick with that."

"**Young Master, I have to say that I deeply disagree with you." **The two teens snapped their heads back to Oberon who was flying just between them. **"I saw you fight for quite a while now, and I admit that you are stronger with a sword. But the expression you wore as you fought with what you call 'boxing' was that of a truly happy person. I have to go now. I don't want to exhaust you any further with my presence." **And then he turned back into a card, softly landing in Minato's hand. The Persona-Users were silent for a few moments before the bluenette gave him a small smile.

"Well, looks like I will stick with boxing for a while." They moved to a death end where a golden treasure chest was waiting for them. The shorter leaned down and worked on the lock.

"If you have any questions, you can come to me, you know. My offer for the Club is still open, too."

"I will keep that in mind, Senpai." he said with a fond smile on his lips. He pulled out two bars of what looked like chewy candy. "Hey, what's this?" he took a closer look and read the label. "Soul Candy... I wonder what it's for..." he wondered out loud. Before he could say anything else, Fuuka spoke to them.

"_Please go to the teleporter now. The others are already waiting for you." _

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When they arrived in the lobby, he immediately knew that something was wrong. They girls looked unusually happy with that big grin on their faces. He looked over to Junpei who seemed to have the same idea and you could practically see his muscles clench through his clothes as he got ready to run away.

"So everybody, what did you find?" His sister asked, so cheerful that it was almost creepy. Scratch that, it was creepy.

"Well, Iori and I found some Soma, the drink of the gods." Mitsuru answered for their team. Their leader gave them a nod and them moved to the two other boys.

"And you?" _Run, run, run! _Every cell in his body screamed but he answered anyway.

"W-We found something called 'Soul Candy', we don't know what it's for, though." Their smiles seemed to widen as they pulled out something black from behind them. When Yukari presented it to the rest of them, he froze. It was a butler uniform with matching glasses. It's jacket had tails and a small fly adored the shirts neck. But on top of it all, it had some incredibly short shorts as pants He knew he should have run away when he had the chance.

"Isn't it cool? Since it's a butler uniform, one of the guys have to wear it! Now, who volunteers?" they looked around and their eyes fell on the boxer, but he quickly shook his head.

"No way. It would be way too small for me."

"Me neither. My shoulders are to broad for something as slim as this." Said Junpei. All eyes were then directed to the remaining male of the group who quickly shook his head.

"N-No! Nononononono! There's no way that I would wear something like THAT!" he protested but his sister had already grabbed onto his shoulder and was dragging him to the stairs, costume under her arm. "Aneki! You can't do this!" The next few minutes were filled with crashing sounds and many shouts on Minato's side but they eventually came out again, the boy in as a full fledged butler boy. "Ouch, I never knew you had such a hard grip, Aneki." the boy said as he rubbed his arm. Yukari almost fell over as she saw him.

"Kyah~~! You look sooo adorable, Minato-kun! Wait, we also got this!" She pulled out a pair of cat ears and placed them onto his head. Oh, the humiliation. "AH! Now it's perfect" come on, say 'Nya'!" She raised her hands like a cat and showed him how it was done. He hesitantly mimicked her moves.

"N-Nya..." he said and everyone in the room turned red. A few minutes of silence passed until the older Arisato cleared her throat.

"I-It's getting late. It would be best if we go back to the dorm. Blueberry, get back into you normal clothes." The younger nodded and did as he was told, not really getting what just happened.

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Again a very long chapter! Sorry if it seemed rushed, but I'm not very good at this Social Link stuff. I will post a picture of Minato as a butler up on my profile someday, so keep your eyes out! I actually never intended to play this card but when I thought about the maid costumes, I decided that I would do that once Akihiko's and Minato's relationship is a bit more romantic.

I also watched Batman: under the red Hood and I have to say that the movie was just pure awesome! You Americans are lucky that you got those comics and good voice actors! The German one was crap!

**Review or you will get a cold and then someone stuffs so much bread into your mouth that you either suffocate while you chew or at least your clothes get dirty when you spit it out!**

You Shadow!


	20. Chapter 20: Social Stuff

I'm so sorry! I promised to get this done yesterday, but I totally forgot that a friend invited me to their birthday party! But here it is and I hope you enjoy it! A while ago, Fan of Fanfics21 suggested to make a scene in which Saoto tries to sell the photos and Minato chasing him. He doesn't really chase him, but the main idea is inside. Hope you like it!

bappitybopbop: Thank you for your comment! I'm glad that at least one person thinks the friendship was a good idea. You gave me an idea for the plot, so look out for it! it#s not in this chapter, but it will come soon!

Disclaimer: Don't and won't own Persona!

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Minato woke up to a loud ringing right beside his ear. At first, he tried to ignore it in any way possible like burying his face in his pillow and covering. It worked for about twenty seconds until he couldn't take it anymore and angrily flipped it open. "What?" he mumbled into the phone and he heard a small gasp from the other end of the line.

"Morning, sleepy-head. Or should I say noon? Man, it's almost twelve o' clock, you can't just spend all day in your bed, you know?" a high pitched voice said and the bluenette raised his head from his bed a bit.

"Saoto?" He had to think for a minute until the events of the day before came back to him. "Look, about what I said yesterday-" The persona-user was cut off by another chuckle.

"It's alright. Actually, there's something very important I have to tell you. Are you free right now? Scratch that, you are still in bed. You obviously have too much free time." The older pouted a little.

"Shut up." He murmured as he heard a small shuffle and a cough.

"So, you want to meet up somewhere?" The junior got out of his bed and grabbed a fresh patch of clothes and his towels from his closet. Best to take a shower before he goes out since they had been at Tartarus.

"Sure. I'll be at the shrine in about half an hour." he stated as he slowly opened his door, mobile still in his hand. He heard a small sigh.

"Hey, do you mind if we go somewhere else this time? Knowing you, you must be starving after that nap of yours. How about we go to Hagakure? I heard they are going cheap on their secret menu today." the bluenette blinked but then a yawn made its way out of his throat.

"Alright, meet you there in 30 minutes." he slurred, still dazed from sleep. He slowly stepped up to the girls floor when he heard a laugh – childish, but the first real one he had heard in a while – and he could practically see the other nod in agreement. When the line went death, he noticed the soft footsteps coming his way.

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"There you are!" Saoto cheered as he jumped off the steps of the stairs. He wore some khaki pants and a red t-shirt, in contrast to the usually blue kimono he wore. It had taken a little longer than he had predicted since he had a pretty embarrassing encounter with the girls right after he had hung up on the younger boy. They had seen him in only his pyjamas and he couldn't even phantom what they must have thought. He pushed those thought aside and met the brunette halfway. Now was not the time to think about that kind of stuff. Now he had to hang out with a friend of his. He gave the short boy a small apologetic smile.

"Sorry, there was a... incident." he simply said. The younger eyed him for a moment before shrugging and and taking the tallers wrist in his hand.

"Whatever. Now, come on! I'm hungry!" he dragged him up to the second floor and into the restaurant. After they had received their meals and ate in silence for a few moments the younger spoke up again. "You know, it's been while since I last ate out with someone. Just to have fun. To hang out. Without any real responsibility." He gave the junior one of his most sincere smiles. "I understand now. The reason why I was so pissed at the clan was not because of Kage. I think you're right. It was all just an excuse to run away. Run away from all of it. In reality, I was scared. My grandpa started the whole 'summoning for money'-thing and I was scared and pissed off that he would just sell his abilities to people who don't know how to handle demons. I had always been proud of my summoning even after I knew that it was the reason my sister died."

"Saoto..."

"I talked to him. He understands now that it hurts the pride of our job to do that. While it might be different in other clans, we don't do things just for profit. We do it to protect the people we love and to get closer to the demons. It may sound stupid to most people, but that's how I really feel. You made me see that." He pulled out something out of his pant pocket and gave it to Minato. "You saw the scarf grandfather was wearing when you saw him? It's our trademark color, well, beside the traditional blue. With that, you are now officially part of the clan. Once I finished my school year here, I'm going back. Since everyone agreed to not do it for money anymore, I'm sure they will need a smart head to help them figure something out." He gave him a toothy grin. "I'm really glad I met you."

And then with a loud crash, the whole world turned grey with a hint blue again. The Hanged Man card appeared in front of me again, this time shining even brighter than before. The dark voice then spoke up again with something sounding like a choir of angels singing in the background.

"_**I am Thou... and Thou art I...**_

_**The bond Thou hast nurtured hath finally matured.**_

_**You have created a bond that cannot be broken.**_

_**We bestow you with the power to summon Attis, the ultimate form of the Hanged Man Arcana"**_

He took the card into his hands and held it as the world returned back to normal. Saoto leaned over to him and eyed his Arcana. "So now we are as close as can be?" he asked and the older nodded.

"Looks like it." The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment before he spoke up again. "Anyway, let's eat before the noodles get all soggy. Soggy Noodles are just gross." They ate their meals and then moved to Port island to hang out. It was late evening when Minato finally returned home, happier than he had ever been.

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6/15/2009 Monday - After School **Naganaki Shrine**

That day, the bluenette had decided to hang out with Akihiko for a while. They had started running at school to the station, then took a monorail to Iwatodai and then ran the rest of the way to the shrine. Now they were drenched in sweat and panting just before the offertory box. The senior gave him a small smile. "Come on, let's take a small break." They sat down onto one of the many benches on the playground. Surprisingly, neither Saoto nor Koromaru were in sight, which was very unusual since they both lived there. He snapped out of his thoughts again when the silverette spoke up again. "The winds picking up... That's actually a blessing after working up a good sweat... It feels nice. I usually train in the club room or alone in my room..." the summoner inspected the others face for a moment before responding.

"I can train with you if you want me to, Senpai." he mumbled in his soft voice. The boxer gave him a grin and ruffled his hair. Just what was up with that?

"Thanks for the offer, Arisato-Outoto. It would be nice to have a running partner. But if you join me, we're gonna do more than just running every day, okay?" After the smaller gave him a shy nod he looked down onto his clothes and gave a small groan. "In any case, I should have changed into my workout gear. I thought this would be just a light run for fun but I'm drenched in sweat." the younger gave him another concerned look.

"Please don't catch a cold." he stated and he only received another pat and a laugh.

"You mean this? Don't worry about it, I'll be fine." Just when he finished his sentence, a loud sneeze resounded trough the place and Minato couldn't keep himself from quietly chuckling. A bright blush blossomed on Akihiko's face. "Shut up! I said I'm fine!" A few moments of awkward silence passed until the older raised from his seat. "Hey, how about we try that out before we go home?" He points toward the horizontal bar and walks over to it, soon followed by the junior. "You can't do a back hip circle, can you?" This time it was the others turn to blush and look away.

"I'm sure you can't either, Senpai." That earned him a smirk of the older.

"Oh, really? I'm actually quite good at it. Want me to show you?" he grabbed after the bar as he was talking and then hanged upside down for a moment. The next second, he swings backward in a full circle. He gave the shorter a proud grin. "Everybody should be able to do it." he pushed away again and watched the pout on the bluenette's face before he spoke up yet again. "Can you at least sit up there? Let me help you." As they walked up to it, the taller swiftly wrapped his arms around his waist and lifted him onto the bar. "There you are." After taking care that Minato wouldn't just fall off again, he also pulled himself up and gave a content sigh. "I wouldn't have thought that you would have so many problems with balance, Arisato-Outoto. Maybe that's the reason why you always trip in battle." Aforementioned harrumphed.

"Like I said before, I'm not really a sports person. I took a few years of Karate and other stuff, but didn't really train stuff like that. It's a miracle I haven't seriously hurt myself yet. Aneki's right, I'm way too clumsy to be on the team." When he felt a hand on his shoulder he looked the other in the eye for the first time that day.

"Don't talk that way, you are doing fine." He paused for a moment before he continued. "This kinda takes me back. It reminds me of when I was a child." He then falls silence again and looked off into the distance. "I need to be stronger... If I won't get stronger... then I won't be able to save anything." he mutters, as if talking to himself. Even if it was only a very small step, he could feel the slowly growing trust between them.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Emperor Arcana!"**_

"We should get going. You sweated, too, right? Make sure to take a cold bath when we get back so you don't catch a cold." Another sneeze escaped his nose and he made a frustrated sound. "maybe I should take one, too."

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"Thank you that you could come, Minato-Senpai. I bet you have a full schedule with high school stuff and all." Souji said as they sat down in at a table of Wakatsu restaurant. Minato shook his head.

"It's fine. I don't really have to do anything right now, so I've got a lot of free time." he responded, as he looked at the menu. The silverette nodded.

"I get that, but..." He turned his head to the right. "why is he here?" he wasn't the most emotional guy but even Minato could hear that the shorter was obviously annoyed to have Saoto sitting right beside him, contemplating whether to take tuna or salmon. The brunette looked up and tilted his head, feigning innocence.

"It was pure coincidence." After his theory, it wasn't even possible, but he had said it anyway. "I was just walking by with Koromaru when I saw you two entering the restaurant. Right, boy?" The dog at his feet barked in agreement and he gave a satisfied smile.

"But that's still no reason to just run up to us and sit here. You could have just ignored us." the silverette retorted and the shorter gave a mock gasp.

"But no! Minato is my friend who so happened to be your friend. And there's nothing wrong with wanting to hang out with your friend, right?" He said with a fat grin on his face. The 14 year old sighed in defeat and turned back to the junior.

"Anyway, I might need some help with my homework. My parents said that my grades are dropping and lower than 90 points is not acceptable in our family." he changed the topic and Minato nodded.

"Alright, so you want me to teach you?"

"Well, I could ask someone else if you want to. I just heard that you were on the top of every exam and pretty much every topic that has not to do with sports." the older groaned.

"I won't deny the intelligent part since I am flattered but how did you find out about the sport stuff? That's the thing I try to hide the most. Well, beside the fact that I'm not very good with languages and art."

"There is that guy in my class that has an older sister that has a boyfriend who is in your class. He said that in physical education, you are the first one to be panting and drenched in sweat. There were also those photos going around the city for a while when you could see how beat you were. They even made it into the middle school and most of the girls almost fainted when they saw them. Something about 'Totally Moe' or something." the bluenette's face burned bright red.

"T-that's what they said..?" he mumbled as he covered his face behind his hands. The boy gave him a quizzical look but then nodded. He sunk back even further. "Gosh, this couldn't be worse..." Saoto grinned when their orders came and he took his tea and sipped it.

"Totally Moe, huh? I can totally see that. Minato-niisan, totally drenched in sweat and out of breath in that short short and almost transparent t-shirt. I get why most girls would think that's great." A dark smirk made its way on his face and he pulled out something from his school bag. "Hey, Seta-kun. I got some very interesting things here. Would you like to see?"

"If it's not a piece of paper that makes you go away, then I don't want to see it." but when the youngest revealed the book and and flipped it open on a random page, his eyes grew as wide a plates together with two grey-blue ones. "W-What the hell is that..?"

"You see right, Seta-kun! This are photos of Minato in a dress!" he pointed at one beside the offensive picture. "That one has him wear the girls uniform of his recent middle school and this one" he pointed at another. "has him in a bear suit. I don't even know why my sister got him into that one. Maybe it was a school play or something. Anyway!" He clapped it closed, making a wind blow that made the other two's hair wave. "I make you an offer. How about I sell some of them to you? I still got the originals." Souji almost looked like a tomato.

"W-why would I want to have photos of Minato-Senpai? That's totally creepy." The shorter gave him a knowing smirk.

"Come one, it's obvious! I know for certain that you have an altar for him at home. You think I don't notice that you are stealing some used stuff when he is not looking." The silverette shrunk back in his seat and blushed even more. "Look, I've got no problem with that. But this offer is limited. If you decide to buy now, you pay for five picture of your choice and three gratis!" before he could say anything else, an embarrassed bluenette jumped up from his seat and practically threw himself at him.

"Dude, stop that! It's so embarrassing! Give me the album! Now!" He threw a fist at the shortest but latter just dodged and gave one of his most maniacally laugh he had and stormed out of the restaurant. But nor before paying for his order first of course. The two remaining teens sat in silence for a moment before blushing and looking away. "Uh, sorry you had to, er, see that."

"What are you apologizing for? I am the one who is worshiping like a stalker. Heck, I'm stealing your stuff without you noticing." He pulled out a used tissue and stood up. "I better get rid of that. It's freaky." When he was back, he sat as far away as possible from the other. They just sat there again until the younger spoke up again. "Man, I barely talk to him and he reads me like an open book. Just how did he know that?"

"Either he's very good at reading people or he's a stalker. I doubt its latter, but the possibility is still there." The older suggested, sipping on his own green tea. Souji gave him one of his low chuckles and looked up to him.

"So you don't mind? I mean that I'm pretty much stalking you?" The bluenette smiled again and shook his head.

"You kidding me? To be honest, I'm flattered. I had a Stalker before but I think you will be a little more decent about it. You know, not taking pictures of me when I get out of the shower." he paused for a moment. "You.. don't, do you?" Another chuckle and he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't. I promise."

"That's not enough." He raised his little finger to the younger's face which earned him a laugh.

"Seriously? A pinky promise? That's so childish."

"Childish or not, my shower privacy is very important to me. Now come on, let's get this over with." With a sigh in defeat, the silverette also raised his pinky finger and they closed the oath. Today, they had both seen each other#s embarrassing side and the trust of them began to grew stronger.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Temperance Arcana!"**_

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Sorry, I know it's short, but those social links are killing me! It takes me a lot of time to play it out right and I don't even think they are that good. Anyway, I made the pic with Minato in the suit but without cat ears, sorry to disappoint you.

**Review or a gigantic chicken will fall from the sky and crush your school! Whether you see it as a good thing or not is up to you!**

Your Shadow!


	21. Chapter 21: Arcana Shadows

Here I am again! I skipped a few days in here, so please don't be confused.

**Thanks for over 8 thousand hits! You guys rock!**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything except Saoto!

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"I can't believe those two!" Souji shouted as he took a rather large sip of his coffee. The two teens had decided to go to Chagall today and as soon as they sat down, the younger had started ranting. Minato just sat there and listened to him with his hot chocolate in his hands. The loud shouts of the shorter were a change from his normally monotonous and low voice, but not a very nice one. "Now, 90 points are not enough! I have to get over 95 to be good enough for my parents! I'm on top of the class, what's all this for? Do they even remember the time they were my age? If they did, then they would know that I can't just spend my whole day inside to study! I have a life out there!" he slammed his cup onto the table and the older flinched.

"Then why not tell them?" The shorter just huffed and leaned back into his chair.

"I did, but they just said that school was more important than hanging out. I understand that it's very important for my future, but I have to live the here and now, right?" He took another sip of his drink and finally calmed down. He raised his hand to his forehead. "Sorry about that. I don't want to bother you. It's just.. my parents keep on insisting that I have to get better at school. It didn't bother me before but now that I finally got a friend..." He trailed off and looked down at his hands. The bluenette tilted his head.

"You make it sound like it's because of your parents that you barely have any friends."

"Well, to tell the truth, it is partly their fault. They keep on pushing me to the limit and don't really care about how I feel about it. Plus, they are barely home anymore because of their jobs. It's just so annoying." His voice had a little childish undertone as he swung his legs under the table. "I'm sure if I weren't pushing people away on my accord, I still wouldn't have any friends because of them."

"I bet you would have managed. You're very strong person, after all." A sad smile graced the youngers lips.

"If that were true, then..." He quickly shook his head and smiled at the taller. "Thanks for listening. I'm sure that you have better things to do than listening to my ranting." Minato returned the gesture.

"It was no trouble. I enjoy being with you."

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Temperance Arcana!"**_

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6/20/2009 Saturday - After School **Classroom 2-F**

"Blueberry." The boy looked up from his bag to meet the gaze of his sister. She had her hands on her hips and her own bag swinging at her side. "Senpai told us to meet up at the Command room today. I will not allow any detours." Hamuko grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him out of the classroom.

"Where are Yukari-san and Yamagishi-san?" He asked and only silence greeted him for a few minutes. When they entered the monorail, the red-head spoke again.

"Yukari-chan and Fuuka-chan went home early to do some stuff. Not sure what it was." She mumbled, not looking her brother in the eye. The rest of their trip to the dorm went by rather peacefully and quietly. No snarly remarks or hits. Neither of them said another word until they arrived. In front of the entrance, they saw the other female members of the group with a familiar grey figure sitting in front of them. Immediately, Minato's face brightened.

"Koro-chan!" The canines head snapped to him and a cheery bark echoed in the street. The dog ran up to him and let himself be patted. The girls walked up to the twins.

"Hello Arisato-kun, Hamuko-chan. You know Koro-chan?" Fuuka asked as she, too, leaned down and caressed the soft fur. The bluenette nodded.

"A friend of mine takes care of him and the Naganaki shrine." he looked at his twin and smiled. "You can pat him, if you want to." A blush spread over the girls face but she then nodded and scratched the Shiba-Inu behind his ears. At that exact moment, a woman walked up to them, a grocery bag hanging from her arm.

"Oh, so this dogs still goes out on walks all by himself?" The woman wondered out loud and Yukari raised her eyebrows.

"Huh? Waddya mean with that?"

"He used to belong to a priest at Naganaki Shrine. Every afternoon, the two of them went this way on a walk. Well, until the priest passed away."

"Passed away?" It was Hamuko's turn to ask.

"Oh, you haven't heard the story? It was about six months ago...the priest was hit by a car while walking his dog. He didn't survive. Ever since then, that dog sits patiently by the site of the accident, and he goes for a walk everyday, just like when his owner was still alive...oh shoot, I have to get going! My son will be back soon!" And then she hurried off. The others stepped closer to the dog as Minato gave him a light hug.

"Aw! Koro-chan, I knew you very a pretty cool dog, but to think that you are that loyal to your old owner!" Koromaru pawed his arm and he took the sign and let go, allowing the dog to walk past him and back to the shrine.

"Wait, isn't the chairman coming today? We should go get ready!" The team agreed and as soon as the entered the room, the smile of the Ikutsuki greeted them.

"We've been waiting for you. Please, have a seat." The juniors did as told and sat down onto the sofa. "Now that everyone has arrived, I would like to let you know about the research that I have been doing. This concerns those Shadows that have been appearing during full moons. I want you to listen closely; it might be hard to follow. Shadows are divided into 12 categories, according to their characteristics. We've known this for awhile. It's like their class or order. Now, I have classified the Shadows we've seen so far and it's simply fascinating!" A few moments of silence passed as the teens waited for the adult to continue. When nothing came, Minato exchanged looks with Akihiko and then turned back to the Chairman.

"And that was...?" The man coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh, sorry. Ahem...those four Shadows belong to Categories I through IV, in order of their appearance! They may have looked different from the more common ones, but the classification scheme still applies." Junpei tilted his head.

"Is that something we should be excited about?" he asked and Fuuka gasped in realization.

"I see, if there are 12 in total..."

"..Then there are 8 we haven't seen yet." The bluenette finished for her and the grown up nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right! You two are very sharp!" Hamuko raised her voice.

"Nice to know, but what are they after? It doesn't make sense if they just appear and turn everyone into the Lost without a reason, right?"

"That's a good question, and that's what we haven't figured out yet: their motive. They don't kill their prey; they feed on their minds. It can be considered predation, but is it really? Is there a more underlying intent behind their behavior? The purpose of the Shadows as a whole...that's what we need to consider."

"This is interesting, but no matter what, we still have to beat the rest of 'em." Akihiko stated and Mitsuru nodded.

"I agree. That's about all we can do at this point." Yukari sighed.

"Eight more, huh? Lucky us."

"According to the data, each one has been stronger than the last, so we better start training harder..." Fuuka suggested but Akihiko only smirked at her.

"We'll manage. We've got plenty of time."

"What about Tartarus? Why does it even exist...?" The bluenette looked around the room and his eyes fell onto the red-headed senior. He might have not been the brightest bulb in the lighthouse, but even he could see the uneasiness on her face as their archer mentioned the tower. They were quickly dismissed and the young Arisato couldn't help but wonder what the reason was.

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Minato just stood there and stared at those gigantic doors. He heard the people buzzing in and out of the store and the rich smell of grilled meat with sauce filled his nose. _Senpai said he knew a great place to eat but.. this place..? T_he older looked down at him and he took on a defensive stance.

"What's up with that face? Honestly, the beef bowl here is really great here. The serving is big and the sauce they use on the meat is just-"

"Akihiko-Senpai! EEEEK!" The next moment, the bluenette felt himself being roughly shoved out of the way. He swayed for a moment but the silverette saved from his fall with his strong arms wrapped around his waist. He looked up and saw the two high-school girls that were probably going into his grade but whose name he couldn't remember. They were awfully close to them. "Akihiko-Senpai, what are you doing here?" the girls with buns asked.

"Oh, I know! You're here for the beef bowls here, right? It's, like, totally funny that you are always eating here!" the heavily made-up girl responded as she scooted a little closer to the boys. As the shorter awkwardly shifted, the older just tilted his head.

"What's funny about it?" he asked and the girls giggled.

"It means that you are totally cool." The made-up girl answered. That seemed to confuse him even more but he shook his head and gestured to the door the two girl were standing in front of.

"Look, can you get out of the way, please? We can't get in." They just ignored it and got even closer to them.

"Hey, hey, you don't have a girlfriend right now, right?" The girls with the buns demanded as she got even closer. Didn't they know the term 'Personal space'?

"A girlfriend?" The boxer asked innocently and the girls got even closer, if that was even possible.

"We're, like, totally looking for guys to be with right now." The same girl stated, like that would explain everything. While they were bombarding Akihiko with their affection, they constantly sneaked cold glares at Minato. He felt the growing hostility radiating from them and froze. Just what the hell was wrong with them?

"..just let us through, please. If you want to talk to me, let's find some other time to do it. Come on, Minato." The glares of the two other teens intensified and the young Arisato shrunk back a little. After a few moments, he nodded and grabbed the arm that was still wrapped around him.

"Yeah, let's go." He mumbled and with their combined power, they pushed past the girls and entered the shop. They ate their meals for a while and the bluenette had to admit that it was very delicious, although the serving was almost too much for him. When they exited, he noticed that the two from before were gone and he looked around for a bit.

"See, I told you it would be great!" he noticed the blue eyes that were searching the area and leaned down to the shorter. "Hey, is something the matter?"

"Those girls are gone." He simply stated and the olders eyes widened.

"Oh, do you think that they also wanted some beef bowls?" he asked, his face resembling that of an elementary student who had just found out how to make pudding.

"Not in the way you think, Senpai." The boxer looked even more confused.

"Huh? I wonder what they wanted, then..." He murmured and then Minato finally understood why Akihiko didn't have a girlfriend yet, despite his good looks and his high status in the school hierarchy. It was because of his lacking understanding for the signs a girl gave whenever she liked someone. He admitted, he wasn't really good at it, either, but they were so painfully obvious that it was almost embarrassing not to notice. He almost felt bad for those girls. Almost. He tried to change the subject.

"So, what's your type?"

"Huh? You mean my favourite type of beef bowl? Let me think about it for a moment.." The boy slapped his hand to his forehead. Then, the older seemed to get what he meant. "Oh, you're talking about girls! Let's see, what kind of girls do I like..." he paused and gave the junior a wry smile. "I don't really want to think about that kind of stuff. I'm... not ready to carry the entire burden yet.." he seemed to be back into his own little world again as he was looking off into the distance again.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Emperor Arcana!"**_

"Oh, yeah, the type I like is..." he paused and then his face went beet red. "Never mind. It's stupid." Curious, Minato got closer to him and eyed his expression.

"What? What kind of type do you like?" The others face got even redder.

"I was told once that whenever someone asked you what kind of type you like, the best answer is always "Someone like you"... But I just can't bring myself to say it! Damn that Iori..." At that moment, the boy just was not able to hold back anymore. He burst out laughing, loud enough he was sure that the people eating downstairs could hear him. He wiped away his tears and looked up at his Senpai, still chuckling.

"S-Senpai, I'm pretty sure he didn't mean that you should say it to a guy." The olders face got even redder and he straightened up again. "Come on, we better get home now." he moved for the stairs but then remembered something. He turned back to the senior. "Sanada-Senpai, right before we entered, you called me Minato." The silverette scratched the back of his head.

"Did I? Sorry about that, then." The younger shook his head.

"It's fine, you can call me by my first name, if you want to. It's much shorter than Arisato-Outoto, anyway." He blushed a little at what he asked next. "Can I call you Akihiko-Senpai, too?" The older walked up to him and ruffled his hair like he always did.

"Got no problem with it. No lets go back before Mitsuru flips."

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Minato opened his eyes and looked around. He was standing in the middle of the court just behind the Port Island station where they had last met Shinjiro. He noticed the coffins standing around and knew that it had to be the Dark Hour. He looked down to his hands and noticed that they were almost transparent. Great, another out-bodily experience. The last time he got one of those it had ended with him falling out of the bed and spraining wrist. He looked up and saw a teenager awakening.

"Huh? How the heck did I-wh-what the hell is this?" He shouted as he observed his surroundings. Soon the bluenette heard footsteps coming their way. He looked up and his eyes widened at the sight that greeted him. It was a group of two guys and a girl, each of them wearing rather unique outfits. The tallest and probably oldest of them was probably supposed to be a hippie but just looked like an evil Jesus. The shorter boy who seemed about his age wore glasses and his deep blue hair in an choppy cut. He wore a green bomb expert jacket and a suitcase under his arm. The girl had flowing red hair that reached her waist and a ruffly Gothic Lolita dress. She looked pretty disinterested.

"Good Evening." The pseudo-Jesus said as he got closer. "Are you surprised? Truth be told, we all visit this world every night." The teen in front of them spit on the ground, trying to act tough.

"Wh-what are you saying? Who the hell are you?"

"Didn't your Mommy teach you any manners? You haven't introduced yourself." he pulled out a piece of paper from his suit case. "Take a look...name, address, etc...this is you, right?" The boy stepped back.

"Wha-? Where did you get this?" He shouted but the group remained unimpressed.

"Some has a grudge against you and asked us to get revenge." The glass-wearing boy said and the thug paled.

"Revenge? What kinda bullshit is this? Who put you up to this?"

"Can't tell ya. We're professionals." Now his skin took a sickly green hue.

""Professionals"...? Oh shit...you mean the rumors on the 'net are true?" The pseudo-Jesus stepped forward as did the other back and the teen raised his hands. "Wait, I haven't done anything! Why me! What have I done!"

"That is not of our concern. Your notion of right and wrong is irrelevant. My client's wishes are all that matter. People hear what they choose to hear, and believe what they choose to believe." he raised his gun that he carried around his waist. Minato tried to interfere but no words came out of his throat. He would never get used to not interacting with visions.

"N-No! Stay away from me!" The boy tried to run away from them but soon a gunshot was heard and he fell to his knees. The Lolita girl turned around, her face still emotionless. She oddly reminded him of Souji.

"He's not dead." She stated matter of factly but the guy with the suit case snorted.

"Doesn't matter. We've held up our end of the bargain. Besides, tomorrow this will seem like some random crime."

The bluenette sat up in his bed, gasping for air. He moved one of his hands to his face and tried to calm down. That was even more intense than most of the visions he had ever had up until now. He looked over to his nightstand and noticed that it was still the Dark Hour. So it must had happened just a few moments ago. He just hoped that he would not get one of those special vision any time soon again.

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He had no such luck. The next day, he had been too tired to spent time with his friends and decided to take a nap in his room. This time, it was still daytime, so he was sure nothing creepy like yesterday would happen. It took place inside Hagakure and recognized the figure that was sitting at the counter. A few moments later, the door opened and the cook smiled.

"Hi, how are you today? Just one?"

"I'll have what he's having." Akihiko said as he took a seat beside Shinjiro. The cook smiled again.

"Coming right up!" he said and turned away from the two friends. The boxer turned back to the delinquent.

"How can you eat the same thing all the time and not get sick of it?" he asked and the other snorted.

"Shut up. You always eat that protein shit." he countered and the silverette pouted as he received his order. They ate in silence for a few moments before the active SEES member spoke up again.

"Have still not made up your mind?" The brunette groaned.

"...Is that what this is about?"

"We've got four new members. Things have changed quite a bit since you left. We're more aggressive now."

"I'm not interested."

"Think about it, Shinji. Don't let your power go to waste."

"My power ain't worth shit."

"Shinji!"

"I made up my mind a long time ago. I ain't goin' back."

"You have to let the past go. What's done is done. It's time you moved on." The taller snorted.

"Like you're one to talk. Face it. You're no different than me."

Minato woke up again, this time feeling guilty. Was it really alright for him to eavesdrop on private conversations like that. On the other hand, it wasn't like he did it on purpose. He covered his eyes with his arms.

"Cosmic powers that have been screwing around with my life for god knows how long, what are you plotting up there..?" he mumbled as he fell asleep again.

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Finally done! I've been writing on this for two days straight, so you better be grateful!

**Review or a cat will eat you hand!**

Your Shadow!


	22. Chapter 22: Priestess and Lunch boxes

Here I am again! Sorry for not updating for so long, but my new beta-Reader Girly 411 (Thank you for reading again!) took a little longer read it through. I noticed I made a bunch of sloppy mistakes, so please forgive me for that!

About the poll about Tatsuya, I will keep it on my profile for the rest of Spring break, which is in about two weeks over here. Please vote!

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona!

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"Yamagishi-san?" The greenette flinched when the Summoner called out to her before turning around. The boy eyed the box she held in her hands. He raised his eyebrows. "A lunchbox? School is already over, isn't it?"

The shorter blushed. "Yes, I cooked something this morning but I hadn't had the chance to taste it yet..." Her face brightened as she came to a realization. "Would you like to try it, Arisato-kun? I think it came out pretty good!"

Minato didn't even need his foresight to know it was a very, very bad idea. He eyed the dreaded box, gulped and closed his eyes. He was fighting scary monsters from (probably) another dimension on a daily basis! How could he be scared of something like that?

"Alright, I'll do it," he said while nodding.

Fuuka's smile got even wider as she took his hand. She dragged him down the stairs and into the Home Economics room. She enthusiastically handed him the bento, humming a soft tune all the while. It already smelled pretty odd. The bluenette hesitantly opened the box and immediately paled. It looked as if a bomb hit inside a field of food, then some soldiers ran over it and a few other things that he didn't even want to think about. He raised his eyes to his teammate only to see with that unusual spark in her eyes. He gulped, picked something up with his chop-sticks and took a little bite. After only a few seconds, he wasn't even able to chew anymore. It tasted as good as it looked.

"So? How does it taste?" the Persona-user asked, still beaming.

There were many ways to answer that particular question. He settled with the truth. "I can't take another bite."

The girl tilted her head. "Huh?" Then it was as if a thunder struck her. "Oh no, Arisato-kun! You don't look very well! S-Spit it out! Hurry!" She led him to one of the garbage baskets and watched as he did. When he was done, she sighed. "I'm sorry that you had to eat that. I knew that it wasn't that good but I wouldn't have thought that it was that bad."

He was about to comfort her when she smiled at him again.

"Have you noticed? Look at the black board! I've decided to start a "Cooking club"! Yet again, I'm the only member so far..." She came closer to him and gave him a pleading look. "I will keep on trying my best, so would you mind stopping by and trying my new creations sometime..? Actually, could you please join? I asked Yukari-chan and Hamuko-chan, too, but they were too busy with their clubs to come. As you can see, I'm not very good and cookbooks don't make much sense to me... And instead of just cooking and eating everything by myself..." She blushed again. "Cooking for you would inspire me to try harder." She snapped out of her little daze and sweated a little. "S-So how about it? Would it be too much trouble?"

He thought about it for a moment. If it meant he could help her, it was probably a pretty good idea. He nodded. "Sure, I would love to."

She beamed again. "Really? Thank you so much!" She took out a small piece of paper. "Um, our meetings are on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. I will try my best, so let's work hard at it together!"

Minato gave a soft smile at her. It was his first time joining a club at that school and he was glad he did. Before he knew it, the world turned grey again.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Priestess Arcana!"**_

A blue card with the head of a woman floated down to him and he swiftly stuffed it into his card holder that he was always wearing on his hips. When everything was back to normal, Fuuka turned to the little fridge that was at the bottom of the tables.

"What should I do? There are still more ingredients that I couldn't fix inside the lunch box..." Minato crouched down beside her and looked over her shoulder. It wasn't very much, but it would have been a waste to just let it rot.

"Leave it to me," he said and started to chop the food into pieces. There was not really much he could make out of the stuff he had, but he at least managed to make a little dog food out of it. He quickly wrapped it up and walked over to the door, the greenette at his side.

"That was amazing! You didn't even need to look at the recipe to make it, Arisato-kun! Next time we see Koro-chan, we should give it to him."

He smiled again and shook his head. "Yamagishi-san, you can call me Minato if you want to."

She giggled a little. "Are you really alright with that? Y-You can call me Fuuka if you want to, too."

"You are surprisingly open and straight forward, Fuuka-san," he said with a teasing grin on his lips.

"You too, Minato-kun," she responded with the same jester in her voice.

The two idly chatted on the way back to the dorm, being more vocal than normally. They talked about some recipe they wanted to try out next time and other stuff that wasn't really important. But once they opened the doors, they immediately shut up.

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6/27/2009 Saturday – Evening **Behind the Iwatodai Station**

"What are you doing here?" Shinjiro asked Minato, who had just sat down beside him.

The younger awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as he shifted a little. "Um, I'm kinda... running away from my sister," he finally admitted after some time, a small blush gracing his cheeks.

The taller raised his eyebrow. "Why would you do something like that?"

Another shift. "She's been pretty... odd lately. I started hanging out with one of the girls of the dorm and she was pretty pissed off without a clear reason. She had been acting like that for a few weeks now and I don't really get it. I just needed some time for myself, that's all. I was lucky to get out of my room without her noticing." He gave the brunette one of his best puppy looks. They always worked with his teachers. "Please let me stay. Going back would be like jumping down a cliff in a storm."

A few minutes passed with neither of the two speaking but then the ex-SEES member shrugged. "I don't care, just don't go all friendly on me, kid."

Silence reigned again, only the laughter of the thugs in the alley and the beeping of mobiles were to be heard. The Summoner nervously tapped his fingers on the cement beneath him and tapped his feet. It was already pretty late and he would have to get back soon, so he had to get this done fast. He took the wrapped up box into his hand and held it out to Shinjiro.

He looked oddly confused. "What's that?"

"It's a lunch box. You know Fuuka, right? She and I made a cooking club back in school and have been meeting since Thursday. We had a few leftovers today and I thought, since I'm not really sure if you were eating alright and all that, I could make one for you, too." The two teens sat still for a few moments before the older reluctantly took the box and opened it. It looked pretty simple but you could clearly see the care that was put into it. "Well, I didn't really know what you like, so I just settled with eggs and meat. Is that alright with you?"

"Whatever," he said and dug in. To his surprise, it tasted pretty good. He had to admit, for his sleepy looks, the brat knew how to cook. Although it was nothing compared to his cooking.

"How is it?"

"Pretty plain but not bad."

Silence again.

"You know, I could cook for you more often. Like, coming here every week and bring you a boxed lunch. It's like they say, you need to eat healthy to have a healthy life." He leaned over to the taller, a very cheerful smile on his face. "Hey, why don't you tell me what stuff you like? That way I can-"

A loud pang roared through the alley and most of the teens just shrunk, some of them jumped, back at the sound. Before he knew it, the bluenette had already thrown himself onto the older and pushed down on the floor. Panic was clearly written all over his face and his hands very firmly clasped around the others biceps. The taller awkwardly shifted under his grip.

"It was only a motorcycle or something. Get off me. Now."

The shorter blushed and scrambled away again. He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, it's just... I thought those were gunshots. I was a little surprised."

"Has anyone told you that you are a terrible liar before? Because you totally are."

"Huh?"

"The bento. It was obviously made on purpose. You intended to give it to me. And your reaction just now, you knew what to do if you heard a sound like that and I'm sure there are no guns involved in your training. Any other person, Persona-user or not, would simply be startled and jump or something,. Not throw themselves at the closest person and push them into the ground." He gave the short boy a hard glare. "I only ask you one more time. Why are you here?"

Minato bit his lips almost hard enough to make it bleed. "I heard that there were some incidents happening around here. I heard that some people were shot and I was kinda worried. I knew you usually hang around here, since we saw you here last time. I just wanted to make sure that nothing happened to you."

"You're still lying."

The younger gave a lazy smile. "How can you tell?"

"The media had released no information on the subject and the people here are reluctant to talk about it, since it would make them look like the culprits. I'm sure you have no friends around here to tell you stuff, so you have to know it from somewhere else."

A dry laugh erupted from the young Arisato's lips and he raised his hands to his eyes. "To be honest, I'm surprised you saw through all that within only a few minutes." He leaned closer again. "Can you keep a secret?"

A nod.

He leaned closer and whispered into the others ear. "I can see into the future." Before the other could say anything, he pulled back. "I'm not shitting with you! It's the truth! I get visions and stuff and that was when I saw what happened here!" He had intended to keep on babbling but the hand on his head stopped him.

"Calm down, kid. I believe you."

He looked, surprised. "You do?"

"There are monsters crawling around in a tower that appears in a hidden hour everyday and we can fight with our psyches. Believe me, there are odder things around here than seeing into the future." He rubbed the smaller boy's hair a bit before giving him a questioning look. "But that still doesn't explain why you want to help me. It's not like I will be the next one to be shot."

Minato bit his lip again. "Like I said, I have visions. I can't control when they come true but they always will one day. The last vision I had, it was..." He gulped. "It was about you. You were bleeding in this alley and a kid I didn't know was behind you. Someone stood in front of you in the shadows. Y-You didn't move a-and..."

"It's alright, you don't need to continue. But why are you coming here and risking your life if you know that I will be shot? We are not friends or anything."

"Senpai, if you knew that someone will die, would you just let them?"

Caught off guard, he lifted his hand from the shorter's head when two determined blue orbs stared at him.

"I will never let someone who needs help alone. It's just not right." He smiled a little and looked up into the night sky. "Plus, you are very important to Akihiko-Senpai. Even if you don't care about your own life, at least think about him before you do anything reckless." He raised from his seat, earning a confused look of the other. "I better get back now. The others must be worried." He looked down to the slightly spilled bento he had made and sighed. "And I did my best on it, too." He moved away but then stopped and turned around. "Oh, right. You are the first one I ever told anything about my secret. Not even my sister knows about it. If you ever tell anybody..." He gave him a cheerful smile. "..be ready to be punished." He then walked up to the station, out of sight.

The brunette just sat there for a few moments before softly chuckling. "A very odd kid."

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Minato sighed as he stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing his cheek. Once again, Fuuka and he had cooked together and it ended in a huge mess. He had just spent the last hour getting the sauce out of his hair (he refused to answer whenever anyone asked how it got in). He had done it on the fourth floor, since Junpei constantly occupied the one on the first floor. He was about to step down the stairs when he heard voices coming from the command room.

"Sorry to bother you, Fuuka.." It was Yukari, that much was clear.

He stepped closer and pressed his ear onto the door. He wasn't normally the one to pry into other people's business, but he was curious what she and Fuuka were doing up there.

"It's okay, what's on your mind?"

"Well, um...I was hoping you could do me a favor with your skill. I was doing some research on our school and found out something strange. Ten years ago, a lot of students missed school for some reason. They were reported as absent, but I found some records that suggest it was something serious. Do you know anything about it, Fuuka?"

"Me? Um, not really..."

"I know it was a long time ago, but...doesn't it seem suspicious to you? From what I've heard, this isn't the first time Shadows have appeared."

"Huh? What do you mean with that?"

"I don't know, but I wonder...and I'm not trying to make trouble, but.. Kirijou-Senpai acts kinda weird whenever anyone asks something about Tartarus. I just wanna know what happened back then. If it doesn't have anything to do with the Shadows, then fine."

"I understand. Okay, I'll see what I can do."

He took at his cue to leave before anyone noticed he was even there. He walked down to the boys' floor to see Junpei up and smiling.

"Yo, Minato! Hamuko-chi just told me we will be going to the tower tonight, so be there!"

The conversation from before forgotten, he gave him a small nod.

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"I can't believe I still have to wear this," Minato mumbled as he straightened his glasses. He didn't even have to wear them; he had no problem with his sight.

Junpei grinned at him. "And I can't believe we found so many of those battle panties that we have enough for every girl on the team to wear them! Dude, I think I'm in heaven!" He looked over to the group of females standing at the foot of the stairs. All of them were showing more skin than really necessary. "Damn, I knew they were hot, but this is just awesome!" He looked back to his classmate. "Well, I still don't get what's up with your sister. Does she have some kind of cosplay obsession? Well, I got to admit it's pretty funny watching you walk in that stuff."

"You wouldn't think it's funny if you wore something yourself, Iori," Akihiko said as he stepped closer to the two boys. He wore a similar outfit as the short bluenette's only with long pants, a cravat and a red vest. He didn't look very pleased. "Arisato is surprisingly strong and has her way to make you wear that stuff. Just what kind of extra training did she have before she came here?"

Minato paled. "We've had a few years of martial arts training back in Sumaru, but I didn't know she would get that strong.. The thought on its own makes me shiver."

"_Alright, everybody. I scanned ahead and pinpointed the next guardian. He is on the floor right above you, so please b__e careful__,__" _Fuuka said inside their heads and their leader gave an agreeing grunt.

The team ran up the stairs and sprinted down the hallways, straight to their next foe's arms. It looked like a white knight on his horse but there were no sights of a body. The Shadow gave a loud shriek before dashing toward them, making the team shatter around the room.

"_It's an Emperor, so __its__ physical skills are very strong. It seems to use Wind attacks, too."_

The older Arisato raised her Evoker and summoned Eurydice, throwing her powerful Ice attacks at it. The knight cried out and raised his lance, summoning a strong wind.

The greenette gasped. _"Junpei-kun! Watch out!"_

"Ugh!" He fell to the floor, covered in cuts and bruises.

Minato started to run. "Junpei!" he cried. The monster noticed him and tried to pierce him with his weapon. He made a small noise and jumped, successfully dodging and reaching the taller teen. "Alright! Diarama!" A green light illuminated the other and he was back on his feet, albeit panting for air. "Maybe you should stay on the sideline for this one," he suggested and the Magician nodded.

"Yeah, best to do just that." The shorter quickly rose from his crouching position and reached into his card holder. He pulled out a card and looked at it in annoyance. The pictures were still in a light shade of grey, meaning that he wouldn't be able to summon them for the next few days. He stuck it back inside and raised his Evoker again and summoned Orpheus. The Persona threw a fireball at the Shadow, slightly hurting it.

On the other side of the room, Akihiko was hitting it with his fists, making a slight damage. Suddenly, the Knight raised his lance to the roof and a bright light surrounded it and it looked bigger for some reason. Before they knew it, wind blasted around, only Yukari coming out of it still intact. The archer gasped and summoned Io.

"I can do this!" she shouted and the major wounds of the team were healed.

They steadied their weapons again when their leader started to shout. "Yukari! You keep up the back-up! Junpei, Kirijou-Senpai and Blueberry, you try to hit with magical attacks! Sanada-Senpai and I are going to attack it with physical skills!"

The team agreed and started with their respective tasks. With the combined force of both magic and the hits and slashes of the others, the enemy was lying soon on the floor, exhausted but not defeated.

"The enemy's down! Let's finish this!" Mitsuru shouted and Hamuko nodded.

The group dashed toward their enemy and shortly after, only a big black cloud was all that was left. The red-haired junior sighed in relief but then doubled over, clutching her side. Her brother walked over to her and immediately summoned his Persona.

"Damn, that's a pretty big wound. Please don't move." He raised his hands and the green light came out of his hands and closed the injury. "It's probably best we go back to the dorm now. Aneki needs to rest." After his teammates agreed, he grabbed his sister's arm and swung it over his shoulders, giving her support from the side. He noticed that she was leaning into him but he just shrugged it off as an affect of her pain.

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"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Minato blinked. Once. Then twice. He had decided to go to the Velvet room that day to register his leveled Demons into the compendium and he had already looked forward to the chipper and a little odd Elizabeth greeting him. Instead, a tall guy with fair skin and striking gold eyes stood in front of him, his lips formed into a frown. He leaned to looked past him and raised his finger.

"Who's that?" he asked Igor who was still leisurely sitting behind his desk.

The man gave him one of his infamous creepy smiles. "Let me introduce you. This is Theodore, the new attendant of the Velvet Room."

"But please, call me Theo," the man said as he bowed down.

The bluenette tilted his head. "Huh? What happened to Elizabeth? She was here yesterday."

"She is preoccupied for now. For now, please hold out with me," Theo answered and the boy kept on staring at him with his bright blue eyes. But after a while, he stretched out his hand and smiled.

"Well, I'll have to get used to it, but it's fine. Nice to meet you, Theo. I'm Minato Arisato."

Now it was the taller's turn to stare but he reluctantly took it. "Yeah, sure," he mumbled and he knew from that very moment, that this cooperation would be a very hard time.

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Done! Thank you all for being so patient. I'm really glad I finally found a Beta and I hope you will like the result.

**Review or a dragon will crash through your ceiling, all your cookies and burps into your face!**

Thanks for reading!

Your Shadow.


	23. Chapter 23: Third Full Moon and Kiss

Hey! It's Sunday and you know what that means! New chapter! Since my beta hasn't written me for a week and I need to post something, I will just post the un-betaed version. Sorry for crappy fight scenes. I just left them out this time.

**Attention! This is where the Boys Love starts! If you haven't got the message yet and don't like it, hit the back button!**

Everyone else, please enjoy on my first real attempts. ^^

**Edit: **Alright, this is the Beta-ed version, there are only minor changes, but still enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona or any other Atlus things!

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6/30/2009 Dark Hour – Dormitory **Minato's Room**

"Hey, guess what!"

Minato opened his eyes to see Pharos' face incredibly close to his own. He tried his best to cry out and throw the kid off.

"Do you know what I'm here to tell you?"

The taller boy thought for a moment. "Erm, for the Full Moon, I guess?"

The child smiled happily and nodded. "That's right! You're already used to it, huh?" He got off him and sat down on the bed. "The next full moon will be in one week. Are you prepared...?" He jumped to his feet and walked toward the door. "Be careful, okay? I'll come again." His smiling face was the last thing he saw before darkness ate up his vision.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The boy rubbed his eyes and yawned as he watched Fuuka scan the area with Lucia. The last week had passed quite smoothly and he had spent most of his time cooking with the greenette or helping out Saoto at the shrine and now it was already their third Full Moon fighting the Shadows. Luckily, he didn't have to wear the Butler Costume anymore for the mission, but he was sure Hamuko would force him to wear it after they were done. Speaking of his sister, she had become more possessive with him for some reason and kept him away from most of his friends. He was lucky she was away whenever he went to the greenette in the cooking club. Now that he thought about it, what happened with the poisonous stuff she had made yesterday? Before he could think further into it, the girl spoke up again.

"_I found it! I feel a strong presence!"_

"Hey, we were right!" Junpei shouted in awe and Hamuko nodded.

"So it seems."

"_It's located in Iwatodai__... inside__ a building on Shirakawa Boulevard."_

Ikutsuki looked deep in thought for a few moments. "Shirakawa Boulevard... They've been finding the Lost in pairs lately... now I understand why." Mitsuru joined in into his thoughts.

"In pairs... Oh, I get it!" Fuuka called back her Persona and gave the team a confused look.

"Why, what's on Shirakawa Boulevard? I'm not familiar with that area..."

The bluenette of the team nodded. "Yeah, me neither. I heard some girl in class talking about how her boyfriend wanted to take her there and that she thought it was disgusting. I asked some of my friends about it but one started to blush like he was sick and the other said I was a kid and ran off laughing like he was insane." He still had trouble sleeping with the mental image of Saoto laughing like that.

"That's where all THOSE hotels are! That explains a lot! You've heard about 'em, right? Where people go to... ya know..."

Fuuka seemed to get it and her face became red enough to rival Hamuko's hair.

The younger Arisato tilted his head to the side and looked even more confused. "I still don't get it. What kind of hotels?" The team sighed in annoyance and Akihiko leaned over to him and whispered something into his ear. The next second, he looked like a tomato. "O-Oh, okay, I see. Please don't elaborate any further."

"Whatever he said, it's nonsense. They are no different from normal hotels. The rooms are a bit fancier, that's all. Please, don't corrupt those two innocent souls, everybody."

The Summoner wanted to punch him in the face for that comment so bad.

Junpei looked kind of disappointed. "Aw man, that's all?"

Yukari looked at the floor, uncertain. "I don't know about this... Maybe I shouldn't go..."

"You're just like a little kid, Yuka-tan."

Her head snapped up and she blushed. "Wh-whatever! Fine. Let's go. But this time, I want a piece of the action! So who's gonna take the lead?"

"I don't see any reason to change leaders now. Arisato, you know what you have to do." Their leader nodded and Mitsuru turned to back to Fuuka. "And Yamagishi, I want you to handle support during the operation."

"I'll do my best!"

"Alright, you better get going now before the Dark Hour ends," Ikutsuki announced and the team was about to leave the room. After a few minutes, the team arrived and made their way inside with their informant waiting outside. Small Shadows were crawling on the floor but they weren't their target.

"_I sense a strong Shadow on the third floor! Please head there immediately!__ Don't worry about the citizens__.__T__hey are alright!"_

Hamuko gave a grunt and led them to the stairs. Minato stumbled a bit on the tail of the group but was kept from falling behind by Akihiko.

The taller gave him a worried look. "Is something the matter? You seem less energetic than usual today."

"It's nothing, it's just..." He tried to find the best way to explain it. "I have a very bad feeling about this Shadow."

"What kind of bad feeling? The 'we-will-probably-lose'-feeling or the 'Something-bad-will-happen'-Feeling?"

"Definitely the latter," the bluenette answered after some thought, "Though I don't know what will go wrong, I know something will." He remembered the vision very clearly. Everything was shrouded in pink fog and he had felt water flowing down his body for some time. The next moment, someone was lying underneath him and a voice called out to him. The Arisato didn't really understand what it meant but it was something about the Shadow they were going to face. They arrived at a gigantic door without any difficulties.

"_I sense a large Shadow inside! Are you ready?"_

After giving a positive answer, they stormed the room. On the bed sat a round man with a mask on a throne, a beige woman behind him. On his sides were two paper-like crosses that seemed to shiver.

Yukari sneered. "THAT'S the boss? Hah! It's more normal looking than I expected!"

"_Get ready, everyone! It's coming!"_

Right on cue, the Shadow threw thunders at them which they barely dodged.

"Yukari! You stay back and heal us if anybody gets hurt! Junpei, Fire! Sanada, punch it as hard as you can! Kirijou, use Ice attacks! Fuuka, we need an analysis, like, now! Blueberry, you use -unda skills from the back!"

_Why does she have to stick with that nickname? _He briefly thought but he followed the orders anyway. Orpheus appeared above him and played his lyre, making the enemy lower its guards. It still tried to hit them with its crosses but the team was fast enough to avoid them. After a few minutes, the familiar buzz in the back of his head was back.

"_It's not really strong. You just have to avoid Lightning, Darkness and Light attacks!"_

The team gave their respective responses and continued their fighting. After they had hit it with an especially strong Wind attack, the Shadow laughed. At first, it didn't seem to have any effect. The next moment, a dark smoke wafted through the room and Minato closed his eyes. When he opened them again, all the blood in his veins froze. The moon was shining bright and big above him with what almost looked like a creepy smile on its surface. It seemed like he was on top of some sort of platform and a big figure stood in front of him, casting its gigantic shadow at him. Yellow eyes stared at him and he thought he would be smashed by the mere power they emitted. But that wasn't the thing that made him freeze. There were bodies lying all around him. Some had bruises and cuts, others had burns and some body parts frozen. He grew even more horrified when recognized their faces. Everything around him was a mix of green and red. A shiver ran down his spine when a cold voice rang through the sky and he felt the earth quaking under his feet.

"**I warned you."**

The bluenette fell to his knees, gasping for air. The noises of battle filled his ears and he desperately tried to move his body from its spot on the floor. He couldn't. It just wouldn't respond. He started to shiver and gripped his fists tightly to his chest. He tried to stand up again, but the memories of what he had just seen kept him from doing so. _Was that... a vision? _He breathed hard and closed his eyes. People were calling out to him, but they only sounded like a distant memory to him.

"_Minato-kun? What's wrong?"_

"_Something is not right!"_

"_Whatever he has, Iori seems to have it, too!" _

"_Yukari-chan! You have to heal them!"_

"_It works fine with Junpei, but spells don't work on Minato-kun!" _

"_We have to do something! He can't just sit in the middle of the battle field!"_

"_**Minato!"**_ A firm hand grasped his shoulder and pulled him back on his feet. He looked up to see two fierce grey orbs staring down at him. "Get a grip on yourself! Whatever just happened to you, you don't need to be afraid. The team is here and will protect you if anything happens. **I **will protect you if anything happens."

He blinked a few times before his eyes focused again and he shook his head. "S..Senpai?"

The taller sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. You're back to your right mind." He loosened his hold on the younger's shoulder and the latter couldn't help but feel sad as he did. "Now, let's get this job done already."

He nodded and the silverette jumped back to the others in front of the Shadow. The bluenette noticed that Orpheus was gone and summoned him again, making him attack it with Agilao. It did not take much more to defeat the Shadow and soon it was falling to the ground, dissolving into thin air.

"_Good job, everybo__dy. Let's meet up outside again__,__" _Fuuka said and the group agreed.

Minato turned around and walked to the doors, lost in thought. He couldn't help but think that it had been too easy. He pulled at the door knob and his eyes widened. He pulled again and it gave the same result. The door wouldn't even budge.

"_What's wrong?"_

"I… don't think we can open the door right now. Is there any other way out?" he asked and he looked at the faces of his teammates. They seemed pretty calm considering their situation.

"_Wait a second, I will-" _She gasped. _"What! I still sense a Shadow in the room and it's not the one you just defeated!" _At least they did look a little more terrified now. _"I can't pinpoint its exact location__…__C__ould you please take a look around?"_

SEES spread out and investigated the room. Everything seemed normal. Well, as normal as a room like that could be. Minato got closer to the mirror that was hanging on the wall. There was something just wrong with it. His sister got up to him and looked over his shoulder. She squinted her eyes and shoved him out of the way. She investigated it herself a bit. Her eyes narrowed a bit more and she cautiously touched it. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the extremely bright light crashing into his eyes.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He blinked a few times, trying to get the dizziness out of his head. It did not work and he just stood there, letting the water run down his skin. Everything just seemed so ...pink, it made him sick. His body started to move on its own and rinsed itself. It was odd. He felt like something else was controlling him and he had only his own thoughts. He did not remember what happened before he got there, but he knew that it was something very important. He heard a soft rustle of clothes from the other side of the door and wrapped a towel -pink- around his hips. His feet sluggishly brought him to the entrance of the bath room and he just stood there for a few moments, trying to gain control again.

"_**Embrace your desire..." **_

He would have frozen if his body would obey to him.

"_**I am the voice of your inner self**__**... E**__**njoy the moment..." **_He tried to resist as hard as he could, but not even that could stop the voice from speaking. _**"That which cannot be felt is merely a dream... The present is all we have... The future is but a fantasy, the memory a fabrication... Let your desire free you from your shackles**__**... S**__**uch is my wish..."**_

The doors were pushed to the side and the bluenette entered the cozy room. His eyes moved to the bed. A person with familiar silver hair was sitting on it but he just couldn't figure out how he knew them. He got closer until he was finally leaning over their body, startling grey eyes looking into his dull blue ones.

"_**You stand before the doorway to bliss. You cannot deny your instincts**__**... E**__**mbrace your desire... Pleasure is what you truly want."**_

Before he knew it, his lips were pressed against the stranger's. He knew he had to pull away. He knew that something was wrong. He knew that she should not be doing that, but damn it felt so good. It was like he was a starved man that just found a big buffet standing in front of him. The body under him had frozen at the first contact but it was not like he actually cared. He moved his almost naked body closer to the other when he felt calloused hands grab his sides. It felt like leather was covering them and were rough from all the fighting they experienced over the years. Just like Senpai...

Senpai.

His eyes snapped open and he jumped off the older, finally realizing what he had just done. The blood drained from his face but then rushed right back when he saw just how he had to look like. Covering his face with his hands, he fell to the knees in shame and started to shiver. _This is so embarrassing! _He thought as he shook his head. _From all the things the vision could have possibly meant, it had to be this! And then with Akihiko-Senpai! _He slowly started to sob, making his shoulders shake lightly. When he felt those heads on his mass of hair, he looked up into the senior's face.

"Hey, what are you crying for, Minato? I'm not that bad of a kisser, right?"

The boy looked away. "That's not it. Just..." He blushed some more and murmured something under his breath.

The silverette crouched down to him and leaned closer to him. "Sorry, what did you just say? You were so quiet."

He swiftly looked at his Senpai again, tears at the corner of his eyes and looking like a tomato. "That was my first kiss, alright?" he shouted and immediately shrunk back again, "Sorry, I shouldn't be so loud. But it's a pretty big deal for me." He moved his hands to his cheeks and squeezed them. "And then I just pounced on you! I'm so sorry! I even made your clothes wet! I just can't get anything right!" He felt a firm hand pat his head again.

"Don't sweat it. It's just water. It will dry." He tilted his head and blushed a little. "Hey, did you-"

"_Oh! I can finally reach you!" _Both of them flinched when Fuuka spoke in their heads. "_Can you two hear me? I'm sorry I couldn't contact you sooner__... T__he Shadow was interfering with your thoughts." _That explained why he couldn't really resist the voice._ "You all got separated. Please regroup and wait until I inform you again. The room with the Shadow is sealed right now, so you can just wait at the stairs. Did you hear that, Minato-kun?"_

"Got it, Fuuka. We will be there in a minute." The connection broke and the young Arisato looked back up at the older, blushed and jumped back on his feet. "Well, I better get dressed now! We don't want to keep the others waiting, do we?" He stormed into the bathroom, slammed the door shut and leaned back against it. His heart was still banging against his ribs and he took in a shuddering breath.

_I can't believe it__!_he thought as he walked over to his clothes, which were neatly folded on a table, _I kissed Akihiko-Senpai! If the girls in school knew, they would have my head for this! _He stopped in his tracks and blushed some more. _But I have to admit.. it felt pretty good. If every kiss feels this way, I might actually start doing it on a regular basis... _He quickly dressed when he heard the impatient knock coming from the other room. After a few minutes, they met up with the others at the stairs, just as planned.

"You don't seem injured. Are you okay? Nothing important happened while we were gone?" Junpei asked.

Minato tilted his head when he noticed the familiar red spot on the other cheek. "We're fine, but how about you guys?"

The girls all turned a cherry colour and Hamuko hit the cap-wearing boy before he could answer the question.

"Of course everything is alright! How else could it be?" Yukari said a little too fast.

The Summoner briefly wondered what had occurred between them, but dismissed it in favor of his health.

"_Of course! The mirrors!"_He had almost forgot that Fuuka was still on the other end of the line. _"__They're giving off the same energy as the Shadow! Maybe the seal will vanish if you break the mirrors.."  
_

"I remember this one mirror we saw on the third floor was different from the others... When I stood in front of it, I felt kinda strange," the older twin stated and they started to search through the rooms.

The greenette informed them that there were two mirrors that were interfering with the signal in total and they weren't really hard to find. After they had finally smashed all of them, they stood in front of those gigantic door again, weapons ready to strike. The Shadow was even odder than the last one. It was, as one could guess, shaped like a heart. It was pink and a small, bean-like head was on top of it. Wide, purple wings were spread all over the room and the two signs of sexuality were floating inside the cage that surrounded it. So basically, it was a gigantic heart mad out of goo.

"You..." their archer growled and the younger Arisato took a step away from her, "Because of you..! I had to come to this disgusting place! You will pay for that!" She dashed forward, closely followed by the other females of the team.

The boys just stood there for a few moments before joining the fight. The girls were already bombarding the enemy with their respective elements, fully distracting it. They didn't seem to mind being injured, so the shortest male of the group had to stand back to concentrate on the healing. The fight was fairly harder than the Hierophant, which was kind of a relief for the young boy. It meant it wasn't just a bait to lure them in.

"Whoa!"

He snapped his head toward the source of the sound and saw Junpei slumped over on the floor. He quickly ran over to him. "Are you alright? Let me see." He offered his hand to the taller, trying to pull him up. Suddenly, he was yanked to the floor. Perplexed, he looked up into dull black eyes. When the other tried to split his head with his sword, he swiftly kicked him into the stomach and rolled out from under him.

"_The ene__my can __charm__ you! Please be careful!"_

The short boy tried to resist the urge to roll his eyes. As if he had not already noticed. He rummaged through his bag as best as he could with Junpei trying to kill him and a team to heal. After a few scratches and bruises, he finally found a Dis-Charm and threw it into the black-head's face.

At first, he didn't seem to register it. But after a few hard blinks, he finally regained consciousness and gave one of his goofy smiles. "Yeah, sorry about that, dude."

That made the younger fume. "Sorry? You almost killed me there!"

"Na, I would never do that!" And then he was back in the mass of dust that was apparently the fight.

It did not take much longer for them to defeat it, but at the end, they were all very exhausted. After they were finished, they met up outside again where Fuuka was welcoming them with one of her welcoming smiles.

"I'm glad you are all okay. I observed the pattern of how you were scattered around the hotel." The girls paled. "And it seems that he just put boy and girl together. It didn't seem to have any other meaning."

"Wait a second!" Minato called out, "Since I was paired up with Akihiko-Senpai, does that mean that I look like a girl?"

"Seems like it," Yukari answered almost too bluntly.

"Well, I think this is one of the most degrading things you can possibly tell a guy," Akihiko commented and put an arm around the younger's shoulders, "Well, I wouldn't have thought I would spend my Tanabata like that."

"Anyway, Yamagishi." Mitsuru turned the attention to her. "The enemy was sly but you did well."

"I do what I can."

"And you, too." Their Senpai turned to Hamuko. "For withstanding the enemy's control."

He did not really know why, but he felt proud when the older girl said that to his sister. He could feel the trust growing stronger inside their team.

"_**I am Thou... Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Fool Arcana!"**_

"Alright, let's call it a night," the silverette said as he finally let go of his underclassman.

When two elders were finally out of sight, Fuuka walked up to Yukari. "About that thing you mentioned the other day..."

"You found out something? Cool, tell me later." She turned toward the rest of her classmates. "Alright, we should probably head back, too."

They were about to head to the dorm when the tallest walked up to their leader. "So what are you trying so hard for?" He seemed pretty high strung today.

"Are you worried about me?"

"Nah, I wouldn't really call it that way... Meh, like it really matters."

Their healer gave a small snort. "Dude, what's the matter with you? Are you gonna keep sulking cause a girl got to be leader again?"

"Shut up!" And then he stomped off.

Minato looked at his retreating form for a while before heading back with the girl. In his haste, he hadn't noticed the three figures standing on a nearby rooftop, observing his every step.

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Done! Again, sorry for mistakes and other stuff!

**Review or rotten potato salad will be thrown through your window!**

Your Shadow!


	24. Chapter 24: Awkward Moments

Alright, new chapter! Sorry it took so long, but the original parts were killing me! Thanks to Girly 411 for beta-reading again. Now, as promised, the results of the poll are out and although only a few have even voted, all of them want Tatsuya in the story. Look forward to the summer vacation, he will appear first there!

Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I won't repeat it again.**

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7/9/2009 Thursday – After School **On the way to the Dorm**

Awkward. That was everything Minato could say about the current situation. It had been a fairly good day at first. His teacher had not slapped him for sleeping in her lessons and he had a nice lunch break with Junpei. Then Hamuko came along. He had hoped to hang out with Fuuka again, but his sister had practically kidnapped him before he could even get out of his seat. So there they were, walking home with no topic to talk about. The bluenette glanced at the older, noticing that her face was a total void of emotions. He usually was pretty good at reading people except when it came to romantic things but the girl was really hard to get. Well, she WAS the leader, after all. The Summoner looked away again, and scratched the back of his head. He was so used to being talked to that he completely forgot how to start a conversation. Then there was also the fact that the last time they properly spoke to each other, he had been shouting at her. Maybe he should give it a try.

"I-It's been getting kinda hot lately, right?" No response. He tried another approach. "How has Student Council been? You are juggling pretty many things at once, right? It must be pretty exhausting." Again, no response. He looked away from her. It was even more uncomfortable than all the other times they spoke to each other together.

"You've changed." He snapped out of his daze when he heard the normally upbeat voice speak in that cold and neutral voice he was so used to. The boy simply tilted his head. "Before we got here, you didn't talk much. You just stayed back and waited until it was all over. You are much more talkative now."

He shrugged. "Well, since we got here, there have been many people who had contact with me. Usually, they would overlook me and walk away. The people here... They notice me. Talk to me. Talk to me a lot. They must be rubbing off on me."

"I see that." Silence again. This time it was shorter. "Are you happy here?"

"Huh? If I am happy?" He crossed his arms over his chest and thought for a moment. "I guess? I have friends, don't talk with myself anymore and there is a dog I can always play with. I don't think I have been happier since Mom and Dad died." He saw something move from the corner of his eyes and turned his head back to his shorter sibling.

"Is that so? Good for you." This time he saw it. A visible flinch. She was also constantly changing her grip on her bag and her hands were a little sweaty. Clear sighs of edginess.

"Is something the matter?"

She still didn't look at him. "Why would there be?"

He shrugged yet again. Her voice was still as cold as ice. "No reason." He was silent again as they passed Koromaru, who was on one of his solo walks again. Although it was generally quiet, he could still hear the leather of the bag crunching whenever she shifted her hand. After a few minutes, he decided to make the first step. "You know I care about you, right, Aneki?"

The girl still did not say a thing.

"Even if you don't feel the same about me, I still care about you. I love you as much as a brother can love his sister, even when you are a total ass to me. No offense." He heard a small chuckle and the bluenette could not help but smile. "You can tell me anything, I will listen. I won't judge you. We are twins, after all." He knew he was probably breaking every boundary that had ever been set up between them, but he knew it had to be done. Minato took a step closer to her and laid his hand on her shoulder. "I love you and there is nothing that will ever change that fact. You do so much on your own and I know you don't need it, but I am always here to help you carry your burden. You are not alone." They just stood there for a few moments but then the red-head shrugged off his soft hold on her.

"We're here." His mouth formed a perfect 'o' when he looked up to the dorm. Hamuko stepped up to the door but hesitated when she grabbed the door handle. "Thank you." He almost did not catch it because it was so quiet, but it was definitely there. When he was about to call out to her, she was already inside. His smile got wider when he noticed that this was much closer than they had ever been in their whole life.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When he thought yesterday had been the most awkward day in his life, then he had been dead wrong. Sitting at the Takoyaki shop with the person he had kissed while he was controlled by an unknown force, who happened to be a **guy**? That was awkward. Minato nervously shifted his legs and straightened his bow tie. He had just wanted to hang out with the older, but that had been before he remembered what had happened that night. They had not said anything since they had started walking from the school and the silence had not been broken until now. The bluenette gulped and decided to make the first step once again.

"I'm sorry."

Akihiko seemed to have noticed that he was not alone and snapped out of his daze. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Well, it was my fault that it happened, right? If I had more control over me, it wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry." He was starting conversations a lot lately, he mildly noted as he waited for a reaction. Soon that familiar hand was on his head again, soothingly patting him.

"Like I said before, it wasn't your fault. It's not like you did it on purpose or anything, right?" The hand was still there and rubbed his hair. The boy gave the older a small nod. That made the taller smile. "Alright! The beef bowl place is not far from here. Want to eat something before we get home?"

That made the smaller's face immediately brighten and he gave another enthusiastic nod.

Just as they stood in front of the restaurant, the upperclassman remembered something. "Oh, right. The chairman will come tomorrow. He said he has something to say, so keep your schedule open, alright?"

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"... So, that's what happened on the night of the 7th." Mitsuru concluded after she had summarized what had happened during their fights with the Shadows. Since the beginning, Yukari had been a little red in the face, but no one else seemed to notice.

Ikutsuki gave a satisfied nod. "I see, so they are getting tougher. But it's not all bad news... I called today's meeting because-"

"Excuse me," Yukari interrupted him. She seemed to have recovered and raised her hand. "Before we move on, there's something I want to ask Kirijou-Senpai. Since I joined, so many things have happened... I went along with it without really understanding what was going on, but now I need to know. I'm gonna ask you straight out..." She made a dramatic pause. "You've been hiding something from us, haven't you, Senpai?"

A wave of gasps went through the room. Minato himself wasn't really surprised she would bring it up now.

"You act like you don't know anything about the Dark Hour and Tartarus... but they're related to that accident in the school area ten years ago, aren't they?"

"Accident?" Hamuko asked, a face pulled into a grimace. She seemed to remember the same thing her brother did.

"There was an explosion near our school, and a lot of people died... It must have been big news back then. You know about it, don't you?"

"…Yes," the older girl answered a bit hesitantly.

"Luckily, no students were injured. But around the same time, a large number of students were recorded as absent. Seems like more than just a coincidence."

"What are you getting at, Yukari-san?" the bluenette asked, but he already knew the answer.

"I dug up some old school records and found something interesting. The students who were absent... they all collapsed suddenly and had to be hospitalized. Sound familiar?" She narrowed her eyes at their Empress. "Like what happened to Fuuka?"

The older girl just remained silent.

That only seemed to aggravate the brunette more. "There has to be an explanation! What really happened on the day of that accident? The Kirijo Group built our school, so you must know something!" Now she was fully standing. "Tell us the truth!"

Silence reigned over the room for a few minutes but then the red-head sighed in defeat.

"I never tried to deceive you. I just thought that it was not important. But..." She paused for a few moments but then looked into the group with new determination. "Alright, I shall tell you everything now. The Shadows have many mysterious powers. Some research indicates that they can even affect time and space. We think of them as our enemies, but what if we could somehow use them to our advantage? They would be an incredibly strong power, wouldn't it?"

"Power..?" Junpei asked in doubt.

Mitsuru continued. "Fourteen years ago, one man pursued that line of thinking... He was the former head of the Kirijou Group, his name was Kouetsu Kirijou..." She looked at her feet for a few moments before carrying on. "My grandfather." Another pause. "He became seduced by the Shadows' power and wished to create unthinkable things."

Minato narrowed his eyes. "Unthinkable...?"

"It was my grandfather who started the Ergo division, Kirijou Ergonomics Laboratory. He sought scientists to fulfill his dream and after several years, he was able to gather a large amount of Shadows."

"Gather Shadows? Are you serious?" Fuuka gasped.

"At the final stage of the project, he tried to combine the 12 kinds of Shadows into one, which caused the explosion. Control over the Shadows was lost and all that remained were the abominable after-effects."

"Wait, does that mean-?" Hamuko asked in shock.

"Yes," their upperclassman confirmed, "Tartarus and the Dark Hour." Gasps filled the room again before the girl carried on. "By their account, the mass of Shadows they collected split into several large ones that then dispersed. These are the Shadows we've been encountering so far when the moon is full."

"But wait a second, if that's true, the experiments could have taken place at only one certain place, right? Then the students who had been hospitalized…" Hamuko asked, her eyebrows pulled into a frown.

"Yes. I'm afraid it's just as you're thinking. Port Island must have been an ideal location for them. It was a highly-populated area, and the Kirijou Group had influence there. They could do as they pleased... As you guessed, the experiments ten years ago were conducted at Gekkoukan High school."

"Does that mean..." Yukari gritted her teeth, "that all we've been doing up until now was cleaning up their mess?" She stomped her feet. "You lied to us!" When the leader didn't answer, she turned to Akihiko. "And you knew about all this, Sanada-Senpai? They've just been using us! Or do you not care as long as you get to fight?"

The boxer shrunk back a little and looked into his lap. "…That's not true. I have my reasons," he finally said after some time.

"Think what you'd like... It was my decision not to share that information. I'm sorry... I never intended to deceive you. Convincing you to join SEES was my highest priority. As absurd it may sound, only we with our Personae are able to fight the Shadows. Besides… Some of us weren't even given a choice. I..." The last part was added with bitterness and her classmate laid one of his hands on her shoulder.

"Mitsuru... Don't."

"Yukari… It's those in the past that are to be blamed," Ikutsuki intervened before anyone could say anything, "And they lost their lives as a result of what they did... We're all in the same boat here. None of us deserve the burden that's been thrust upon us." That didn't seem to calm the archer down.

"But...!"

"It has been ten years since that incident... No one knows why the Shadows suddenly returned. But since they're active, at least we can find and destroy them... Do you realize what this means?" The team looked a little confused for a few moments. "What if I tell you that those twelve Shadows are the cause of everything?" Surprise filled the faces of the teens.

"Then if we defeat them all, Tartarus and the Dark Hour will disappear...?" Fuuka asked, a little uncertain.

"Exactly! That's what I was going to tell you earlier. See, it's good news, isn't it?"

"Is that true?" Hamuko asked again, her eyes shining with joy.

"I have evidence to support it," he answered with a kind smile before turning back to the rest of the group, "Now our true battle begins. Regardless of what's happened in the past, we must fight to protect the people. The Shadows are gaining strength... We can't afford to just wait for them. And there are many mysteries still surrounding Tartarus. Why did such a gigantic structure appear in the first place? The answer must lie within."

Soon after, the group had moved into their respective rooms, all with another emotion on their faces. On Minato's, it was suspicion. There was something wrong with the chairman, he just knew it. There were no doubts that the cases of the Lost were decreasing after they had defeated the big Shadows, but something seemed off about the whole story. He sat down on his bed and thought for a few minutes. He did not know what was going on, but he knew that Ikutsuki cannot be trusted. Now he just had to convince his teammates somehow.

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Souji looked unusually happy when the two of them walked out of Book On. His arms were filled with some kind of mangas and his usually stoic face was almost radiating happiness like the sun did sun rays. When the silverette noticed his stare, he smiled even more. "What's wrong, Senpai?"

Alright, he was beaming. That was just too much. "Why are you so happy? Not that I got something against it, I'm just not used to it, that's all," he cautiously asked, not really sure how to react to such a cheerful child when it was not Saoto.

The other's face just brightened even more as he picked up one of the books he had just bought. "Well, I'm happy, because..." He stuck the manga into the older's face and made a dramatic pause. "I just got the new Red Robin issue!"

The bluenette blinked for a moment but then raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Erm, so?"

"What do you mean 'So?'!" The boy was clearly shocked and tapped on the cover of the comic. "You know how long I've waited for this? Three months! And it's not just any issue! It's the one where Tim Drake finally returns to Gotham! You don't know how much I wanted this one issue!" He had gradually gotten closer to the taller and was now obviously invading the latter's personal space. He jumped back a few steps and hugged his other comics. "And the others are the first print of most of the Supergirl graphic novels! She is so cool and pretty!" When he noticed that he was totally acting out of character, he quickly regained his posture but there was a small blush gracing his cheeks. "Anyway, those are some good comics."

Minato did not know how to react to that but then just burst out laughing.

The younger watched him warily until he calmed down and then decided to talk again. "Do I need to call a doctor?"

The Summoner rubbed tears out of his eyes and straightened up again.

"No, I'm fine, it's just… you are usually so emotionless and act as if you don't care about anything, it's pretty funny how you can freak out about some American comics."

The silverette, who had tensed up a few minutes ago, relaxed again. A rare smile sneaked its way on the short boy's face as they walked down the stairs to the strip mall. "They are really good. I could lend you some if you want. I even have the issues of Batman from back in the forties. But I also have other series like Superman and Spiderman. DC is pretty cool but Marvel is great, too," he said with a cheer in his eyes that he had never seen before.

But the Junior shook his head. "Nah, I'm more of a manga person. I don't usually read American comics."

"Anyway, I can bring you some next time we meet. We can- Waaah!" The next moment they knew, Souji was lying on the floor with a grey dog standing on his chest. The canine lazily drooled on his face and barked happily. Soon angry footsteps were to be heard and a short, black-haired boy rounded the corner.

"Damn it, Koro-chan! I told you not to just run off like that! What if you get run over or something?" Saoto shouted as he picked the dog up, his eyebrows narrowed. He looked down to the person that had been jumped upon and his eyes widened. "Seta-kun? Are you alright? Stupid question, you have drool all over you." He pulled out a small tissue and crouched down to his classmate, setting his charge down beside him. "Here, let me get it off." He softly wiped the piece of paper over the 14-year-old's face, but the latter quickly swatted his hand away, his eyes filled with anger.

"Get off me, Kirita!" He pushed the shorter away at his chest and rose to his feet, his face unusually red. "Don't you get it? I don't want your help! Just get the fuck away from me! I thought I made it pretty clear the moment we first met, I don't want to have anything to do with you!"

A few moments of silence passed between the teens and even the people around seemed to stop and stare. After the shock wore down, the youngest lowered his head, got to his own feet and grabbed his dog by the collar. "I get it, Seta-kun. I won't bother you anymore." And then he made his way back to shrine. The middle-school student was panting from his outburst and his shoulders were rising and falling in a rapid pace.

"Well, that wasn't really nice," Minato said to ease the tension a bit. It only seemed to make it worse.

"Don't you tell me what is nice or not!" His full rage was now directed toward the oldest boy. "If you hadn't been here, he wouldn't have tried to get so close to me! If you weren't there, I wouldn't show my emotions in public! If you weren't there, I wouldn't have to shout! If you weren't there, I wouldn't feel so damn guilty!" The boy took a shuddering breath and covered his face with his hands. "Damn, I just messed up big time, didn't I?"

Minato took a few steps toward him and laid a hand and the shorter's shoulder. "Yeah, pretty much." Silence again and he uncertainly scratched the back of his own neck. "I think you should apologize. You don't need to be afraid to make friends and opening up to people. You did to me and it wasn't that bad, right?"

Souji smiled a little and straightened up. "No. No, it wasn't." He looked at his feet and then back up. "But if I apologize now, he will probably hate me even more..." He took a deep breath and crouched down again, picking up his comics that had been scattered all over the floor. "I will think about it. See you later, Senpai."

"Bye, Souji," Minato said and walked back to the dorm.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Temperance Arcana!"**_

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"Hey!" The Persona-user slowly opened his eyes to see Pharos sitting on his bed again. "It's good to see that you made it out alive."

"Well, I did almost die of embarrassment." That earned him a chuckle.

"How long has it been since we first met? Time passes by so quickly." He now looked directly into his eyes. "So? How is life as a Persona-user?"

"It's actually pretty fulfilling."

The kid smiled even more. "I'm glad to hear that." He stepped down from the bed. "I remembered something else about the coming of the end... It all goes back to an occurrence that took place many years ago. Ten years ago, if I remember correctly." He thought for a moment. "Hey, didn't your parents die ten years ago?"

The bluenette just shrugged. "I think so. I don't remember it, though. Must have been unconscious for quite a while back then."

One moment later, he was at the door. "A Persona is like a mirror. Which means a Persona-user can never escape from his true self." He turned around and opened the door. "Regardless, I will stay with you... because we're friends." And then he was gone again. He didn't stay long enough to see the world turn grey.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Death Arcana!"**_

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Done! I hope you liked this one, too.

And to be fair, Arisatoo has written me a message and asked if I would let Minato die at the end of the story. To be honest, I wanted to make to endings, like in the game. In both, Nyx is getting sealed, but in one he dies, in the others he doesn't. I won't say anymore on that topic, so don't ask for more information. I just wanted to tell you, since it would be mean if one knew and the rest doesn't.

**Anyway, review or Batman (Yes, I read the comics. Call me a geek with no life, if you want. I'm Asian, I'm allowed to be a geek.) will jump into your flat and bat-glare you until you review!**

Your Shadow.


	25. Chapter 25: Fusion Spells and Yakushima

Here's the new chapter! On time this week, too! In this chapter, a new character appears! Who might it be? Most of you probably know already, but who cares.

Thanks to Girly 411 again for Beta-reading!

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It was unusually quiet at the dorm that evening. There still was that tension between Mitsuru and Yukari, so not even Junpei dared to raise his voice. Minato shifted in his seat beside Akihiko and took a look at his sister. She was staring at her folded hands on her lap. _Great. Looks like the awkwardness of my life will just go on for the rest of the week. _The boy thought grimly.

Surprisingly, it was Fuuka who broke the silence. "Y-you know, it's almost summer break. Do you have any plans?"

Their Magician nodded. "I wish I could go to the beach. Hot sand, cool breeze, babes in bikinis... Man, it sure would be nice! Somewhere in the south, where the water is crystal clear!" he shouted with the best enthusiasm as he could muster. But then his mood fell for real. "But first we have exams to worry about... Ugh, what a drag..."

The greenette tried to cheer him up. "Now, now. You'll be fine. But yeah, I'd love to go somewhere famous for its beautiful beaches, like Okinawa," she suggested with a small smile on her face.

"Well, it's not Okinawa, but how about Yakushima?" All of their heads snapped to Ikutsuki, who leisurely walked into the room.

Mitsuru rose from her seat. "Mr. Chairman... I didn't realize you were here."

"I happened to be in the area, so I thought I'd drop by and tell you my schedule for next week." He turned toward the red-headed Senior. "Mitsuru, your father will be vacationing in Yakushima during the break."

The girl actually looked surprised. "He will?"

"You'll all have some time off after exams, right? Why don't you go and pay him a surprise visit?"

Junpei's mood was in a high again. "Seriously? We're gonna go on a trip? YES! Beach babes, here I come!"

Their archer rolled her eyes. "Ugh, men."

"How about it, Mitsuru?" the chairman asked the girl again who still looked a little uncertain.

"But... my father is a busy man; I don't want to ruin his vacation."

The smile of the man only grew even more. "Haha, don't worry... No father would be upset with a daughter who came all that way to see him. You've all done a great job. You deserve to relax for awhile. We already know when the next operation will be, so it should be fine."

Their representative leader contemplated it for a few moments before chuckling and nodding. "Alright. I guess everyone needs a break now and then. Let's do it."

Everyone started to cheer, especially the cap-wearing guy in their group. As the others were still talking about what they would bring and do, the bluenette saw how the oldest teen in the group and their archer moved to the stairs. A few seconds passed and he, too, rose from his seat.

"It's getting late. Finals start tomorrow, so I better get to bed early today."

The rest of the team wished him a good night and he left the room. When he got closer to the girls, he quickly hid behind the closet. Like he already mentioned, he was not the type to eavesdrop, but he had to know if there were any problems inside of SEES that his sister did not know of.

"Um, Senpai. Uh... sorry about the other day... I got a little carried away."

The older just shrugged. "Don't worry about it." She was about to go up but stopped before speaking again. "In a way, it's only logical that we go to Yakushima. The Chairman said that no one who was responsible for the accident is still alive, but... in reality, there is one witness who survived."

The younger girl tilted her head. "There is?"

The other hesitated. "...My father."

They went to bed soon after that and the boy followed their example. He was not kidding when he said he had to sleep.

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Minato hummed a little as he packed his bag after the teacher had dismissed them. Exams were over now and that meant they would be going to Yakushima soon. In all their time Hamuko and he had been moving around, they had never really been near the beach, so it would be his very first time. He had to remember to buy a lot of sun block, though, since his skin got burned pretty fast. He looked up from his desk when he heard Junpei jump to his feet.

"I'm done, baaaaby!" he shouted from the top of his lungs, "The dark days of testing are finally over! The sun is shinin' bright!"

The younger boy could not help but smile. "So, how did you do, Junpei?"

"Hey, check it out! I aced P.E.!"

"And that pretty much answers the question," Yukari said with her usual eye roll.

"Psh, a real man doesn't dwell on the past... I'm thinking ahead to Yakushima!" he said with a sneer and the brunette seemed to realize that in fact, it was.

"Oh yeah, that's coming up soon, isn't it? Are ya ready?" she asked the red-head beside her and the latter grinned.

"Totally."

"Is that so? Well, I should get ready soon, too. I guess I should be more enthusiastic, huh? Anyway, I don't have training today, wanna go somewhere?" She turned her head to the younger Arisato behind her. "You can come, too, if you want, Minato-kun."

"Sounds good! Where we goin'?" The tallest of them jumped into the conversation, a little smug smile on his face. "If you need to buy a swimsuit, I'd be happy to help!"

"As if!" She rose from her seat and started to walk to the door. "Alright, gimme a sec, I'm gonna go grab my stuff from the locker room. Oh, I'll invite Fuuka, too."

When she was out, Junpei walked over to the other girl in the room. "Hey... I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting lately... I was just in a bad mood and took it all out on you... I know it wasn't too good of me..." He trailed off but their leader just gave him one of her cheerful smiles.

"It's okay, I'm not mad."

The boy seemed relieved. "Alright. Thanks. Let's go back to how things used to be between us, okay?" He held out his hand and the shorter gingerly took it, a big smile still on her face. "Alright, let's get going. You coming, Minato?" He addressed the smaller boy, signaling him that he had not been forgotten.

The bluenette gave him a silent nod and the trio went to the front door of the school. There they met up with the other girls and Akihiko and walked outside. Just when they were about to leave the school grounds, Junpei started to cheer again.

"Wohoooo! Freedom at last! What should I do now?"

Fuuka smiled softly at him. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Hell yeah, I will!" He turned to the silverette of the group and his face fell a little. "Hey, what're you doing here, Sanada-Senpai?"

The latter just shrugged. "Ikutsuki-san called me. I think he wants to talk about a new candidate."

Minato's body stiffened as his blood froze up in his veins.

"Does that mean another person is going to join?" Yukari asked as she pulled her bag a little closer to her.

Their upperclassman just shrugged again. "Maybe."

While the others started to chat, the Summoner was a nervous wreck. They had a new candidate for SEES. Could it be Saoto? He did have the potential, but he wasn't able to summon his Persona. He had sneaked out once and trained with the boy on the first floors of Tartarus and although he was excellent with his summoning, when they tried to use the Evoker on him, it didn't work. He came out with only minor cuts and bruises but if he were to fight on the same level the rest of them did, it would end far worse. Now that he thought about it, how did they find the Persona-users anyway? He didn't have much time to think, though, since a loud voice ripped through his mind.

"Fuuka!" Natsuki ran up to them from behind and waved her arms. "Do you think you can stay a little longer with me for a mandatory study session? There's, like, no one-" She stopped and looked around the group. Her face fell. "Oh, you're going back to your **home **home today, huh? Okay, never mind then." She turned away and started to walk back into the school building.

"Hey, wait. It's alright, let's go," Fuuka called out and already started to go after her friend, "Sorry, I'll see you all later back at the dorm." And then she was out of their sight.

Hamuko whistled after her. "I'm surprised at how much she's changed in such a short time!" she exclaimed in awe. Before anyone could respond to that, a familiar voice reached them.

"Ah, friendship! How beautiful! Adolescence is such a wonderful thing! So full of vibrancy!" Their heads snapped around to see the chairman walking up to them, a big smile on his face. "Oh, hello. I just stopped by to pick someone up. I might as well introduce him to you now."

He stepped to the side to reveal a small boy. He could not have been much older than Saoto, although he was good ten centimeters taller. He had fluffy brown hair that was slightly gelled up on the front with big eyes to match. He wore a sleeveless orange jacket over his elementary school uniform, which included shorts. They were much shorter than the ones Souji and his fellow Summoner were wearing for middle school and Minato seriously wondered what was wrong with the head of the Gekkoukan. Did they have a Shotaro-complex or why did those shorts barely cover his ass? He remembered when he had worn those clothes himself and how cold his legs had been in winter. He was so sunk in ranting inside his head that he had not noticed that the others had started talking again.

"Oh, hi, Ken-kun. What's up?" Hamuko asked the boy now known as Ken and Akihiko seemed very shocked that she knew his name.

"You know him...?" the silverette asked, his eyes wide.

Yukari realized something and stepped up to her blue-haired classmate. "Right, you haven't met him yet either, have you, Minato-kun? He's a boy Junpei and I have been helping out lately. He's still in 5th grade, but very mature, more than Stupei at least, but that's not really hard," she explained, supposedly ignoring the 'hey!' of the black-head in the background.

The adult of the group took the opportunity to talk again. "He doesn't leave during the break because of his... circumstances."

"Oh, I heard about that... Something about his parents," Junpei said as he scratched his chin.

"It was only my mom and me but she got into an accident and she... she died." A few gasps could be heard but Ken just kept on telling his story. "It happened two years ago."

"Right now, one of his distant relatives is paying for his school expenses. But staying at the elementary school dorm all by himself isn't proper for a child his age. So I decided to move him to your dorm for the summer," Ikutsuki further explained the topic.

Yukari looked utterly shocked. "To OUR dorm? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

The man seemed amused. "Well, of course. He has the potential."

"Does that mean... he's the new candidate?" the boxer asked cautiously.

The older nodded. "Yes. But as you can see, he's still just an elementary school student. So it is merely a possibility for now."

The Emperor stayed silent at that statement but not for very long, since the short boy was now standing in front of him, his eyes gleaming in awe.

"Are you... Sanada-Senpai?"

"Uh... yeah?"

The youngest's eyes seemed to beam even more. "I've heard a lot about you. You haven't lost a boxing match yet!"

The older scratched the back of his head and gave a small nod. They then all walked back to the dorm and the Summoner of the group silently walked up to the upperclassman and tugged at his sleeve.

"Hey, everything alright, Senpai?"

The older seemed to snap out of his daze and shook his head. "I'm fine, it's just... I'm used to girls looking at me like that, but a little boy? That's just a little uncomfortable."

The shorter gave a nod in response and the rest of the walk remained quiet, at least between the two of them. They ate out for a bit and arrived home when the sun had already set. Hamuko loudly announced that they would go to Tartarus that night because they had to make up for the time they were at Yakushima.

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_Alright, this is bad. Three gigantic Shadows of the Strength Arcana in front of us and two of our member knocked down. I guess it's time to panic, _Minato grimly thought as he looked around the room.

Yukari was lying on the floor with Mitsuru right beside her, trying to get her up. He was standing on the sidelines again while providing support and the rest tried to fight the wrestler-like creatures off. It had started pretty good for them. Yukari had found their weakness and bombarded them with wind attacks. But the monsters had caught on and had attacked the girl into her current state. The bluenette had tried to call out his demons, but they had just been beat up and no big help, so he stopped after the third one. The rest of the team was still trying to attack the enemy and was slowly losing their breath. They had started to use the Soul Candy, that Saoto had explained helped to concentrate, but they had to be careful with them to not use them up. They would not hold out much longer and Hamuko probably knew it. The younger did not have much time to ponder about it before his sister's voice rang through the room.

"_**Cadenza!" **_

A strong wind blew through the room and for the first time, Minato regretted only wearing his school uniform. It was clawing on his loose jacket and he had to close his eyes to prevent any dirt from coming in. At first, a cold feeling spread over his whole body, but then warmth took over and all his wounds were healed. He was still a little stunned when he heard the older Arisato shout again.

"What are you guys waiting for? Get up!"

The girls did as told and started to attack again. In their rush, they had not noticed the third Shadow coming up behind them. Wide-eyed, the bluenette rushed over to them, took his gloves off, grabbed Yukari's bow and shot a few arrows at it. He hit it in the eye and successfully knocked it down. He heard a sound from behind him, let the far-range weapon fall to the floor and unsheathed his sword. He stepped in front of the two girls and blocked the fist that was directed at them and pulled the trigger of his Evoker. Orpheus appeared above him and hit the foe square on his face. While it was still dizzy, he gave it a firm karate kick into the knee and let it limply fall to the floor. He noticed that the girls had not started to fight again yet but then he heard the all too familiar shout of their archer.

"Come! Io!" Garu blasted at the last standing Shadow, hitting its weakness and smashing it into a nearby wall. The brunette smirked. "Here's our chance for an All-Out Attack!"

The team stormed at their fallen enemies and as usual, dust was swirled up into the air, making it impossible to see what was happening. Soon, it was gone again together with the black mist of the Shadows.

Fuuka let out a sigh of relief. _"Great job, everybody. Please return to the lobby."_

The group agreed and after a little search on the floor, they found the teleporter and a few items.

Back on the first floor, Mitsuru walked up to their leader. "I will get straight to the point. What was that power you were using on us to heal our wounds?"

Everyone was stunned at her straight-forward attitude, but did not interfere. The shorter red-head just stared at her for a moment before pulling out a bunch of cards from her skirt-pocket. They looked very similar to the demon-cards of Minato.

"Those are skill cards." Her voice was as blunt as her face was. "With those skill cards, I can use spells that my Persona can't and in some very rare occasions, I'm able to fuse certain spells to make a new, stronger one. Those are fusion spells. The one I used on you was Cadenza, a fusion of Sukukaja and Media. Enough information?"

Again, the group was too stunned to say anything. From all the things they had expected, from denial to cheers of joy, they had not expected a blunt explanation of what those cards were. Minato decided to be the first one to talk again, since no one else wanted to make the first step.

"So, uh, where do you get them, Aneki?"

His sister seemed sincerely surprised when he asked that but the emotion passed her face fast enough to escape without anyone else noticing. "They are lying on the floor of Tartarus. The Shadows seem to leave them behind." She crouched down and started to take her naginata apart. It was a different from the one she had used the last time they were there, her brother noted. "It's late, so we should better get back to the dorm. We need to get ready for Yakushima, anyway." And then she started to walk to the entrance.

The team had many open questions, but decided to leave it at that and also moved to leave the tower. Before the Summoner reached the gigantic doors, Yukari stopped him.

"That was incredible, Minato-kun! I didn't know you were such a great archer! Hey, if you want, as the captain of the Archery Club, I could get you a spot." She winked at him. "Just call me if you are interested." And then she left, too.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Are you alright on your own?"

"_Damn, you've been asking that for the last three days and the answer will always will be the same. I'll be fine! I'll just stay at the shrine for the time you are at Yakushima and in summer vacation, I will be in Tokyo with my family. No big deal," _Saoto answered for the third time during their conversation.

Minato played with a strand of hair. "I'm just a little worried, that's all. You are living all alone and the shrine isn't the safest place around."

"_Don't worry. If anything happens, I have my demons and Koro-chan around. Plus, I know how to use that stick I like to keep in my bags. Heck, I have weapons hidden inside my clothes everywhere! So don't think I can't handle myself!" _he said with an obvious smirk in his voice.

The older chuckled and leaned onto his knees. "Alright. Man, I always thought that ships were exciting, but they are so boring, I almost fell asleep before I called you."

"_Almost?"_

"Alright, I fell asleep. Happy?"

A small laugh. _"That's so you. Hey, did you know that Souji was returning to Tokyo as well in the break?"_

"How do you know that? You are not stalking _him, _are you?"

"_How can you say that, Minato!" _he exclaimed in mock-shock, _"Of course I don't! Anyway, you better get back to your teammates now before they notice how long you've been away." _

"Fine, see you in a week."

"_Bye." _

The boy closed his phone and walked over to the rest of SEES which were gathered at the peak of the ship. Most of them were silent as Fuuka and Junpei were leaning over the railing.

"Awesome! There it is! Ya-Ku-Shi-Maaaa!" Junpei shouted from the top of his lungs.

The youngest got closer to them and dared to look up into the ocean. He had never told anyone about his fear of heights. He had always thought that it was silly to be afraid of something as small as that, so he just kept it to himself. It was hard for him, since most of his friends liked places like roof tops and other places. He shielded his eyes from the bright sun until his eyes started to focus. He was met with a beautiful green island. A big hill was coming up from the middle and white beaches were surrounding the area. He let out a sound of awe.

The greenette seemed to have difficulties to form a proper statement. "W-Wow... So many... tropical plants...!" she stuttered and pointed to a particularly big one on the coast, "H-Hey, take a look at that one!"

No response from the other girls.

The air still hung thick around them and the Summoner slumped his shoulders a little. Now it was his turn to try to cheer them up a little. He straightened up again and pointed at the beach.

"Hey! Those beaches look really great! I've seen one in Sumaru before, but this one is so much bigger! I wonder what kind of animals are living here!" he said with all the enthusiasm he could muster.

Again, the atmosphere stayed heavy.

Junpei gave it another shot. "I-It's totally amazing, huh! Man, this is awesome… I'm not even kidding!"

Again, only silence greeted them. They all let out a sigh. Minato really hoped that the rest of their vacation was not as awkward as their arrival was.

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Another one done! I hope you like this one! Next chapter: Yakushima! I'm looking forward to writing Operation Babe Hunt!

**Review or your pet will turn into a Marshmallow that sticks onto your wall and won't get off!**

Your Shadow!


	26. Chapter 26: The Truth about The Incident

Here's the new chapter! Sorry it took so long but... Erm, I have no excuse for that. Just had a hard time and school and all. Anyway, got a long weekend now, so I will probably sit in front of the pc most of the time. I will try to keep on writing.

Thanks to Girly 411 again for beta-ing!

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After they had arrived at the island, they were instantly led the way to their beach house. But Minato thought 'beach house' had been the understatement of the year. The house was a gigantic mansion with gigantic hallways and more doors than they probably actually needed. The bluenette was looking around in awe and the others seemed to be amazed in a similar way.

"Wow... It's like we're in an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Fabulous..." Junpei whispered under his breath. The rest of the team just nodded in agreement. Out of nowhere, two maids walked up to them and bowed.

"Welcome back, milady," they said in unison and turned to the remaining teens in the room, "And you must be her schoolmates, correct? Welcome to the Kirijou vacation home."

Yukari's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, are we even in the right place...?"

"Real-life maids...? Well, that's something," Hamuko said with a small smirk on her face and folded her hands in front of her mouth. Whatever was going through her head, her brother really did not want to know.

"I knew she was from an important family, but this definitely confirms it..." Fuuka mumbled. Just in that moment, a tall, dark man walked out of the room from the end of the hall with a stern expression on his face. He grimly walked up to them and stopped when Mitsuru greeted him. He waited for a few seconds before resuming to walking away from them. The team was silent again until the greenette finally spoke up again. "Was that... her father...?"

Junpei took the opportunity to start shouting again. "Dude, talk about scary! He's not gonna make us walk the plank, is he?"

Akihiko sighed in frustration. "Don't be stupid."

"We won't be here for long but make yourself at home," their fencer stated with a low chuckle.

Their Magician wasted no time getting started as he grabbed his stuff and walked up to the window which had a great view of the beach. "Sweet! This is gonna rock! Hey, wanna go to the beach? It's right there!" He childishly pointed at it through the glass and then walked back to the group to take Minato by the hand. "Dude, this place rules! Come on, let's go!"

"What, already? I mean sure, but let us get changed first!" Yukari said for all the girls.

Junpei just shrugged and took hold of Akihiko, whose eyes widened. "Alright, see you there. We'll be waiting! I'm not gonna waste a single minute!" And then he dragged his two teammates away.

Despite all their attempts to free themselves from the base-ball player's grip, they eventually ended up on the beach, all of them in their swimsuits. Junpei had already taken his shirt off and looked ready to dip in while the others wore t-shirts. To be honest, Minato had been shocked at first when he saw the eldest's Speedo, but he just shrugged it off. They were all guys, so it should not bother him. The Magician of the group took a deep breath of the salty sea-air and let out a content sigh.

"Ah... Got my sandals on... Giving my feet a chance to breath... Yup! Summer's here!" he cheered, a water-ball under his arm.

The silverette looked mildly disappointed as he looked at the horizon. "Darn... there's nothing out there I can use as a marker... Too bad. I was hoping for a good swim," he complained and that just earned him a shocked look from the middle oldest of them.

"You must be joking... We come all the way to the beach and you're gonna train?"

"What's wrong with that? You got a better idea?"

The junior's grin widened and he stuck his thumb at his chest. "Damn right I do! It's summertime at the beach! I've got the perfect activity!"

As if on cue, Yukari and Hamuko came up behind them, their eyes fixed on Akihiko. The Lover was wearing a pink bikini top and a pair of what looked like jeans shorts. His sister was wearing a light pink bikini with ruffles on her neck.

The young man smiled and turned his face to them. "Hey, about damn time you got here."

They just kept on staring.

"Uhm, is something wrong?"

The archer seemed to snap out of her daze and pointed to his lower body parts. "Er, that's a pretty small swimsuit, Senpai..."

The upperclassman seemed almost happy that she mentioned it. "What, you don't know? Swimsuits like that reduce water resistance and-"

"No, no. It doesn't need to be justified," she cut him off, a bright blush on her face. She looked away from him when she heard a whistle from the side. She narrowed her eyes on her black-haired classmate. "Hey, Junpei, what's the matter? You look even dumber than usual."

"Maaaaan, talk about a feast for the eyes..." He let out a little creepy laugh but then he straightened up. "Yuka-tan's wearing a more aggressive model than I had imagined! Could her boldness come from the confidence that her club training has toned her bod?" he said like he was an announcer in some kind of sport event.

Minato resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. The girl let out an outraged yelp as he turned to the red-head beside her.

"And check out our leader! She's one cute mermaid herself! Those curves she usually keeps covered up are looking good! I can't tear my eyes away!"

Unlike her best friend, she gave a small giggle.

He smiled even more and the youngest boy didn't even want to know what he was thinking right now. "Maaan, this beach is so great! I love this place!"

They heard footsteps coming up to them and turned their heads to see Fuuka walking up to them, a blue-green tankini that was, although it was more decent than Yukari's, showing all of her curves. Not that she had something to be ashamed of. "Is this umbrella taken?"

Junpei smiled even more. "Ooooh! And here we have the lovely Miss Yamagishi!" He stared at her for a moment before blushing. "...Wow, Fuuka, I had no idea you were so... I mean, you should wear a swimsuit more often!"

The girl did not seem to get him at first but when she did, she let out a high shriek and hid behind the other girls.

Junpei just turned into creeper mode again. "Oh, come on! There's nothing to be embarrassed about!" He started to give that creepy laugh again and the bluenette gave him a firm smack on the back of his head.

"Stop laughing like that. It's creepy," he said with a small blush on his cheeks.

The taller did not seem fazed and just continued his little show. "And here comes our final contestant!" he shouted.

Right on time, Mitsuru walked up to them. She wore a pure white bikini with a flower and a piece of fabric wrapped around her hips. The girls gasped in awe and the boys just stared.

"Wow... Kirijou-Senpai... You're beautiful," Fuuka whispered and Yukari tuned right in.

"Yeah... Your skin is flawless! Have you already put on sunscreen?" she asked and the older blushed.

"Uhm, not yet..."

And then the females started to chat among themselves.

Junpei took the chance to grab the other males and gave them a hard glare. "Alright, guys. Level with me? Which one's your type?"

That certainly took the youngest aback. "Wah! Why would you ask something like that?" he hissed under his breath. He could not believe this was happening to him.

"Aw, come on! We've got the four hottest girls with us in just swimsuits and you want to tell me not one of them is your type? You're a guy! As if I would believe something like that!" the middle one whined and Minato turned red from anger.

"One of them is my sister, Kirijou-Senpai scares the shit out of me, Fuuka-san is more like a guy friend to me and Yukari-san sometimes gets so close to me that she creeps me out!" It was embarrassing to admit it, but it was how he really felt. He just hoped that none of their other teammates would find out.

"Alright, point taken. How about you, Sanada-Senpai? Which one's your type?"

The oldest just groaned at first but then leaned in closer to the Juniors as his face got redder and redder. "Arisato."

The others' eyes widened.

"Seriously? No joke?" the baseball player shouted from the top of his lungs which earned him a few odd looks from the rest of the team.

"Hey! Keep your voice down!" Their archer gave them an annoyed stare.

"What are you guys smirking about?"

Junpei smirked even more at that. "Nooothing..."

"Ooookay..."

"Man, this is great! I'm in heaven! How 'bout a swim? Tereteteeee! Charge!" And then he just ran into the sea.

Akihiko still had his own smirk on his face as he took off his shirt. "Hey, I won't let you win that easily!" And he, too, was inside the water.

The girls soon followed and the bluenette could not help but smile. Considering their situation, it was good to see them happy once in a while. His expression grew grim as he remembered the vision he had had when they fought the Hierophant. That being on the tower with the full moon... He was sure that it was not just a projection of his fears. It had to be a vision. There was no other explanation.

His head started to hurt and he grabbed it with both of his hands. Images were flashing through his mind and before he knew it, he was crouching on his knees.

_Moon light bridge._

_A gigantic monster._

_A blond girl._

_Death._

He felt someone staring at his back and he slowly turned around to see who it was. He had only been able to catch a glimpse of blue before he collapsed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hey, kid. You alright?"

The boy slowly opened his eyes and immediately closed them again when he felt the sun blinding him. He shielded them with his hand and turned his head to the source of the voice. Two bright silver orbs greeted him and a soft smile played on Akihiko's lips. Minato quickly sat up but he regretted it as soon as his head started to spin. The older slowly lowered him back onto the beach stool.

"Be careful, you've passed out just now. You shouldn't move too much."

"What happened? Well, other than me passing out."

"You must have been out in the sun for too long. Just stay here, we'll probably go back soon, anyway. You need anything?"

The shorter shook his head and the Senior walked back into the water to join the happy group. The bluenette watched him go for a few seconds before turning his head to the forest that was just down the beach. That blue spot he had seen before was gone now and so was the feeling. He contemplated going inside but then decided against it. As far as he knew, he could get lost and die inside there. So he just stayed there and read the comic Souji had lent him. It was surprisingly entertaining for him, although the art style was a little too male-oriented for him.

As the older had said, they had returned back to the house. The team had eaten dinner and they all went their ways to their room. The Summoner was still reading when he heard a knock on his door.

"It's open," he called out and the door opened.

To his surprise, Hamuko was standing there with her short white skirt and her orange t-shirt. "Kirijou-Senpai wants us to come to the lounge. You coming?"

He gave a curt nod and walked down the halls with his sister. Although their relationship had gotten better since the beginning, she was still refusing to talk to him more than necessary. The younger Arisato gave a mental sigh and thought it over once again. Why would she be ignoring him? He had never done anything to irritate her... right? He was not very good at getting hints. It was very possible that he had done something without noticing. He gulped and shook his head. He should not have to worry about stuff like that! His sister was only ten minutes older than him and was acting as if she knew everything! He was the boy and taller than her, so he was superior! ...Alright, he thinks most men are stupid monkeys and he was only three centimeters taller, but still! It was not fair of her to act that way.

"-you listening to me, Blueberry?"

He snapped out of his daze to see the annoyed face of his twin. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, spaced out for a moment."

She snorted and opened the big doors, which the younger had not even noticed they were standing in front of. Without another word, they slipped inside and sat down on the couch, where all of their teammates were assembled. Mitsuru's father was sitting on the middle sofa and he had a grim expression, which was not really a surprise, since that was the only expression they had seen of him up until then.

"From what I understand, Mitsuru already gave you the short version. Well, it's true that we adults are to blame. If I could have atoned with it for my life, I would have done so... Now I have no choice but to rely on you." He was silent for a moment before continuing. "What my father wanted to create with the Shadow's power... was a time machine." 

The eyes of SEES widened.

"That's what he was trying to do?" Seems like even Mitsuru was surprised by that.

"Imagine if you could control the flow of time... eliminate unwanted events before they occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking."

Hamuko shook her head in disbelief. "Would someone really try to control Shadows just to get power...?" she mumbled, although her brother doubted that anyone beside him had heard it.

"However, under my father's direction, the research began to stray from its original goal. In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that..." Again he paused. "It's only natural that you want to know the truth, and it's my duty to tell you."

All of the sudden, the lights were turned off and a TV screen was coming out of the ceiling.

"What...?"

"This is the only existing footage of the accident, recorded by a scientist that was participating." The screen flickered on to reveal licking flames with one lone figure standing in front of the camera.

"I pray that this recording reaches safe hands..."

Yukari's eyes widened even more. "That voice...?"

The image got clearer to show a middle-aged brown-haired man. He seemed out of breath and there were burns all over his arms.

"My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived... I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster, but if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price."

Fuuka gasped. "The entire world? What could he mean with that?"

"Please, listen carefully...the Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you have to eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success, and so I didn't raise any objections... It is all my fault." There was another explosion in the background and the image faded again.

The archer jumped from her seat, shock obvious on her face. "...Dad..."

"His name was Eiichiro Takeba. He was the head researcher at the time and a very talented man," Mr. Kirijou explained. His expression got even grimmer if that was even possible. "But we are the ones who are responsible. We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijou Group is to be blamed for his death."

"I... I can't believe it..." Akihiko murmured. Seems like that info had not been told to the Seniors.

Yukari stared at the floor, her hands tightening to fists. "So that means... my dad caused it all...? The Dark Hour, Tartarus... the people who died in that incident... It was all his fault...?"

Minato could hear her teeth grit against each other. He, too, got to his feet and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Yukari-san, I know this is a lot to take in, but please calm down..."

"So that's why you were hiding this...?" She swatted off his hand, turned to Mitsuru and started to shout, "Because you felt sorry for me? Listen to this! I don't want your pity!" Without waiting for an answer, she ran out of the room, leaving the others in a heavy silence.

The red-haired senior got up and walked over to Hamuko. "Could you go after her? She needs someone to listen."

Their leader nodded and walked out. There was nothing for them to do anymore, so they left for their rooms once again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Minato woke up to the sound of the door opening. He had not thought much of it at first but when he felt his bed shift he stiffened. He was about to turn around when he heard a voice.

"Don't move, you moron. The bed is small and I don't want to fall off."

He relaxed at the angry voice of his sister. He moved closer to the wall so she had more space to lie on. At least it was not Pharos. "Welcome back, Aneki," he yawned. "How was the talk with Yukari-san...?"

The girl shifted again. "It was... good. Well, I got her to calm down a bit and stay with SEES. She has to figure out the rest herself."

"Oh." Silence again. The younger did not object, since he was so tired but he could feel the way his twin was barely moving.

"Aneki, is something bothering you?"

She stiffened even more. "What makes you think that?"

"I can feel your muscles being all tense and your breathing is too controlled. You can talk to me if you want to. I'll listen."

Hamuko kept silent again for a few minutes. "It was Yukari. She said I always acted as if I knew all the answers."

"So? What's so bad about it?"

"It's not really what she said that concerns me... It's what's hidden behind it. If she says I always act like I knew everything and every solution to every problem, then she means that I'm perfect." She started to curl together. "And I am as far away from perfect as can be. I can't cook, am not very good in school and can't draw. The only thing I'm good with are sports. I can't even lead a team of teenagers without someone getting hurt. I'm useless."

This time her brother did turn around and looked her directly in the eye.

"So? So what if there's stuff you can't do? It's not as if you would ever need that kind of stuff, right?" He yawned again. "You're strong, confident and you can fight. But most of all, you are good with people. The people around you are being drawn in and you help them with their problems. I saw how you interact with your teammates in the tennis team. I saw how you tried to hook up Iwasaki-san and Tomochika-kun. In my opinion, being able to help so many people like you do is much more useful than cooking." He yawned again and closed his eyes again. "You're great, Hamuko-nee-san. You are everything I am not..." As he fell asleep, he heard the faint murmur of the universe.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Sun Arcana!"**_

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Done! I hope you liked reading this one as much as I liked writing it!

By the way, I recently finished Persona 2: Innocent Sin. It's such a great game, you should play it! Most of you live in America, right? This fall, the upgraded PSP version will be released, so please buy it! It's a great game, as I said, although it's very different from P3 and 4. Anyway, I started playing Eternal punishment and am pretty disappointed. They took the multiple options per character during demon contact! Whatever, I'll just stop ranting here.

**Review or Metis will jump out of your screen and will go all Kuudere on you!**

Your Shadow!


	27. Chapter 27: Babe Hunt and Robot

Um, I can only say how sorry I am for the wait. We always write a bunch of tests in June, so I had to learn for at least two of them. But let's be positive! I got an A in both English and History! Yays for me!

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The first thing Minato noticed when he woke up was that his bed was colder than it had been when he fell asleep. He remembered last night's events and rolled over on the mattress. Looks like times like that still did not change their relationship. It took a little time for his eyes to adjust to the darkness until he could finally see the numbers of the clock on his nightstand. His eyes narrowed at the small piece of paper that was lying beside it and was folded in a pretty hasty way. After about five minutes, he decided that he wanted to know what was inside and read it. A smile sneaked its way onto his face and he did not even try to hide it.

"_Going to the Jyomon-Cedar tree with the girls. We'll be back in the afternoon if nothing comes up._

_Thanks for listening."_

He read it about three times until he finally laid it back on his nightstand. He took a quick shower and checked in on the other guys' rooms. Nothing. He asked one of the maids and found out that they had gone to the beach, to 'pick up some ammo', as Junpei had put it. He did not know what he had meant with that, but he went anyway. When he arrived, he saw the two older males talking to a bunch of girls. The females just gave them an annoyed expression before marching off. The boys seemed obviously disappointed and although he had a bad feeling about it (and his bad feelings were never wrong) he still walked over to them.

"Hey Senpai, Junpei. What are you doing?" the bluenette asked from behind.

All of a sudden, Junpei had grabbed his shoulders and was glaring at him. "Dude, where have you been? We could have needed your help here!"

"What do you mean, where have I been? I was in my room! I don't even know what's going on here!" he shouted back, not really caring how loud he was, since there was no one else in sight.

The taller gave a dramatic sigh before leaning in closer. "To be honest, we are on an operation right now. And we are doomed to fail useless you help us out."

"An operation?" That immediately got his attention. If it was an operation and the guys were on it, it had something to do with the Shadows. He was about to ask what it was about when Akihiko cut him off.

"It's nothing serious, Minato. He's just sour because he couldn't pick up some girls," the silverette deadpanned, making the middle boy swirl around in anger.

"Hey, I did my best!"

The shortest kept his face blank. "That's it? Picking up girls? That's not exactly worth an operation." That just earned him a fierce glare.

"Are you nuts? Picking up chicks is, like, the most important thing in the whole world!"

That made the younger raise a blue eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Of course! And I'm very experienced in it, too!" the taller of them said with a big grin on his face.

The silverette just scoffed at that. "Yeah, and you weren't even able to hold a conversation for more than three minutes before pissing them off and walk away. Admit it, Iori. You're not as much of a lady-killer as you think yourself to be." That earned him another glare.

"What about you, Senpai? You think you can do better? C'mon, show us what you got," he challenged and the bluenette took a step back.

"Alright, I'll just go back to the-" A firm hand on his shoulder stopped him from walking away.

"No way. You will stay here and help us out. With your pretty face, you will attract some attention and earn us some points, even if you have no idea about girls."

Since when did he become the bait of the team?

After a few minutes of aimlessly walking around, they finally spotted a woman sitting under one of the umbrellas.

Junpei whistled. "Take a look at that! A pretty lady all by herself! That means she's just waiting for someone to hit on her! Come on, guys!"

Before the others could even come up with a protest, the Magician had already dragged them to the woman. She immediately noticed them and turned to face them, a small smirk gracing her lips. Minato gulped as she eyed them like a bunch of meat. She had wavy brown hair and had her arms folded under her unnaturally big boobs, making them seemingly even bigger. She actually looked pretty but even her best affords did not hide her age. She could have been their mother! The woman did not seem bothered by that fact as she came closer.

"Hello there, cutie pies~~. Can I help you?" she asked in a sultry voice.

The boy tried his best to not run away. Even Junpei seemed to have noticed the age difference and started to stutter.

"Uhhhh... Excuse us, we were... just searching for the bathroom!" He took a few steps back and leaned in to the others so the woman was not able to hear him. "He-Hey guys... Isn't she pretty... old... up close?"

"I told you it was a bad idea!" Akihiko hissed back

"Hey, what are you three whispering about?"

They all snapped their heads back to the brunette, feeling dread welling up inside them.

"Say, you are in high school, right?"

They all stood up straight.

"Y-Yes! … You have good eyes!" the middle oldest of them started to stutter.

The woman gave them a pleased chuckle. "I can't help it, my job-" She cut herself off and shook her head. "Anyway, it's not important. You guys want to have some fun?"

The baseball player visibly paled. "Oh, uh, but that's not right, is it?... I-I mean, our ages..."

The woman remained silent for a long while before speaking again. "What?" She did not shout or anything, but it was said in a way that could have froze over the whole island.

The boy frantically looked around before pushing Akihiko to the woman. "S-Sanada-Senpai! It's your turn! It was your turn anyway and you're closer in age to her!"

The silverette just stood there without understanding what was going on, but then his eyes widened in realization. "Uh, well..." he started but the brunette started to chuckle again.

"You have a nice body... You are slim, yet muscular," she purred and moved closer to the teenager. She eyed him for a few seconds before giving a satisfied nod. "I choose you! You want to go on a vacation to the world of romance with me?" She moved even closer to him and Minato's eye started to twitch.

"Uh, not real- Hey, don't touch me!" He tried to pry off the hand that had started to grip on his ass and that was the moment the bluenette could not take it anymore.

He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her away from the Senior. He took a big breath. "**Grandma!**" he shouted from the top of his lungs, then grabbed the others' hands and ran for it. After they were well out of her range again, he stopped running and let go of the other teens. "Well, that was a close one."

Junpei walked up to him and threw his arm over the shorter's shoulder. "Yeah, thanks for saving us, dude. Although you have the wrath of a certain old lady cast upon you now. I'm pretty surprised, though. I didn't know you could shout like that."

The Summoner scratched the back of his head. "Well, I just had no reason to up until now."

"Anyway, we should get going. There are other pretty women around here!"

The two martial artists' jaws almost hit the ground.

"You seriously want to keep going, even after what just happened?"

"Of course! That was only one case. I bet the next one will be totally hot for us!"

"And I bet the next one is even weirder than the last one," Minato said with his arms crossed over his chest.

His classmate just snorted and dragged them off again. "Oh, come on, what's the worst that can happen?"

Soon they found another woman sitting alone under an umbrella. She had shiny black hair and wore a revealing orange bikini. Although she was pretty, something just struck her as odd. The others did not seem to notice and walked up to her nonetheless.

"Excuse me, Miss..." Junpei started to try a little more polite approach.

"Yes? How can I help you?" Her voice was surprisingly low for a woman.

"Uh, are you alone?"

"Yes, I am completely alone. And with 'alone', I mean 'single'." She started to giggle before talking again. "I've been observing you for a while now. You've been picking up girls for a while now. How did it go?" She stared at Minato for a few moments.

The boy was not sure how to answer, since he had not been there for long, but considering that the others seemed desperate enough to drag him along, he finally decided on an answer. "Mission failed," he answered which earned him a chuckle from the adult and a protest from Junpei.

"I thought so. You don't understand women at all. How are you supposed to get anyone when you are like this? Hey, you with the cap." She pointed at the baseball player. "You are way too wrapped up in yourself. You don't think about doing anything for the GIRL to make HER feel special."

The boy lowered his head in defeat and shame.

"And you, in the t-shirt. You seem like the stoic type, but you're not very experienced with girls. Or rather, you seem like someone who's too much of a hassle to be with. Like, you're super-logical about everything."

The upperclassman looked away into the distance, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks.

She finally turned to the youngest. "And you, shorty."

He did not know if she was referring to his short stature or to the pair of shorts he was wearing, but both kind of pissed him off.

"You have a pretty face, I won't deny that, and you seem to be mysterious at first glace, but inside you're just a little kid. Typical case of oblivious to love, I would say. You probably wouldn't notice that someone likes you, even if they tattooed it onto their foreheads. But I bet most people think you are a girl, anyway."

It made him mad and what made him even madder was the fact that he was not able to argue against it.

"But I have to say your childish demeanor makes you pretty cute. I think you are just my type."

"Hey, wait a second!" Junpei cried in shock.

The woman giggled again. "Juuuust kidding."

The Summoner certainly hoped so.

"I like you a lot, too. Do you want me to teach you... how to make ME feel special?"

The Magician's eyes started to sparkle with enthusiasm.

_Stupid teenage hormones, _the younger thought.

"But I can't take all three of you, so... Can I pick one? Someone whose fun... and with a big heart... How about you, cap?"

It looked as if the boy had a hard time to keep himself from jumping up and down. "Hell, yeah! I'm in!"

The two were about to walk away when Akihiko seemed to realize something. "Hey, wait... I've been wondering about this for a while now... but is that a hair on your chin?"

The woman immediately turned away from them and touched her face, horrified. "Have I missed a spot?" She, or rather he, hissed under his/her breath and while Minato's eyes widened only in the slightest, Junpei's were as big as plates.

"Wait... I can't believe this! Isn't there some kind of law against this?"

The he-she only chuckled again, this time a little deeper. "Well, I think you weren't ready anyway. If you have widened your horizon, you know where to find me!" And with a small air kiss, the transvestite walked off, leaving the boys all by themselves.

The bluenette crossed his arms over his chest again and put on his best 'I-told-you-so' face. The others just sighed in defeat.

"Looks like it's 3:0," the silverette mumbled.

"What's wrong? You sound pretty disappointed for someone who said he wasn't interested in picking up girls," Junpei asked with narrowed eyes.

"If I'm in a match, I want to win. I know what our problem is... You can't control yourself."

Minato did not like the way this was going. "What? Don't blame this on me!"

"I'm just stating the obvious."

"B-but, you haven't scored either!"

"What did you just say...?" Akihiko looked really angry now.

"Alright, enough! Minato, whose fault do you think this is?"

And there it was. He was caught in the middle again. The boy quickly raised his hands and shook his head. "Why are you asking me? I can't just judge over that."

The other teens gave him a long glare.

"We can't just keep on going accusing each other. It's either him or me," the Senior said with an unusually serious voice.

The youngest felt like a girl in a triangle relationship.

"Yeah, so tell us who..." The older Junior trailed off and looked out to the ocean.

The Summoner waved his hand in front of the taller's face.

"Hello? Earth to Junpei? You feeling alright?"

The older grabbed his face and turned it in the direction he was staring at. The boxer gave a confused look before looking for himself. He was not disappointed at what he saw.

On the pier was a girl in a long-sleeved, blue summer dress. Her hair was a light blond that was cut just under her chin and was kept in place with a red hairband. As she turned around, the wind had picked up, making everything around her fly into the air. Her eyes were almost glowing blue and her skin was so pale it was almost inhuman.

Before the bluenette knew it, he was hauled behind a rock together with his teammates. They kept on staring at the girl like she was the answer of all their questions.

"Wow, talk about saving the best for last! She's so cute!" He turned to face the others with his eyebrows pulled together. "This is our last chance to make up for failures... but this time we should try one-by-one instead of all together. We'll have a better shot that way."

The silverette nodded. "Alright, but who's going-" He stopped himself when he saw the Magician was already running up to her. "Why did I even want to ask?"

They watched them exchange a few words before the boy was already walking back to them.

"He was shot down faster than I expected..." The middle one slowly sat down beside them and Akihiko tried his best to hide his smirk. "So, how did it go?"

The black-head made a cat-like hiss. "Shut up! It's your turn, Senpai, but be careful, she's a tough one."

"Heh, don't worry about me." And up he went. He looked much more certain when he talked to her than Junpei, whose eyes went wide.

"Wow, he's actually having a conversation with her! Although something's not right..."

The girl said something else and the boxer lowered his head and walked over to them.

As soon as he was there, he started to smirk again. "I won. I talked to her longer than you did."

"It doesn't matter how long you talked to her!" he glared at the oldest for a while until he gave his classmate a determined look. "Minato, listen. If you can't pull this off, I'm gonna be traumatized for the rest of my life."

"We're on the ropes, but it's not over yet... It's all up to you now."

The youngest gave them a horrified look. "Wait a second! Since when have I been a part of this whole thing?"

"Since you entered the beach and that trans-guy thought you were cute. Now go!"

With a sigh, the boy got up to his feet and walked up to the blonde. He had not been able to actually catch a glimpse of her but the closer he got, the more his headache seemed to grow, which was pretty odd. After a few seconds he arrived and scratched the back of his head. How was he supposed to strike up a conversation with someone he did not know? He settled with a simple greeting.

"Um, hello. My name is Minato. What's your name?"

The girl immediately turned around and studied his face.

Now that he could see hers, his headache grew even more. He could hear footsteps but they were of no interest to him. He just wondered who that person in front was.

"Initiating evasive maneuver. Confirmation must be made at a secure spot..." And then she ran off.

The other guys hurried to his side, brown eyes glaring at him.

"Hey, what did you do to make her run off like that? Well, what are you waiting for? Go after her! Go tell her you're sorry! If you don't, we'll all be in trouble! Go on, man. You can catch her if you hurry!"

They pushed him to the forest and he had no other choice but to follow her. But he had no other choice anyway, even without considering the trouble they could have been in. That person made his head ache and there were not many people who could do that on sight. She had to be tied to him somehow and he was going to find out how.

Soon, he arrived at the Jyomon-Cedar tree. He felt like he was being watched again and looked up to one of the surrounding weeds. A blond head popped up, revealing the girl from the beach. He took a cautious step forward.

"Were you the one who had been watching me the last few days?"

The girl did not answer and just kept on staring. After a few moments, she rose from her crouching position and walked over to him. "I was correct. I have found you. I have been searching for you." She got closer and pulled him into a surprisingly tight hug. "My highest priority is to be with you!"

He heard footsteps again and tried to twist around enough to see who it was, which was pretty difficult considering his position.

"WHAT? I can't believe it! He hasn't even really said anything to her!"

Just in that moment, the girls had decided to show up, each of them in a different state of anger.

"There you are!" Hamuko shouted and put her hands on her hips, "You better have a damn good explanation to be here in your swimsuits! We've been looking all over for you!"

"Yeah, so- Wait a second, who's that?" Yukari asked as she saw the girl hugging Minato.

The bluenette shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, Yukari-san."

"Listen, we've encountered a problem. I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, but I need you all to go back to the house and prepare for battle," Mitsuru interjected before any more questions could be asked.

They were about to go as they heard a familiar voice.

"That won't be necessary. We've found what we were looking for." The chairman walked up to them and stopped in front of the foreign girl and sighed. "You had me worried. You don't have permission to leave the lab on your own, Aigis."

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"I apologize for all the trouble. Everything is under control now," the chairman said once they were back in the house. It was already evening and there were still no news about the girl or the weapon the girls had told him about. "Concerning the tank, it has been taken care of. Come here, Aigis."

The door opened and the girl from the beach walked up to them. Her dress had been taken off and Minato could now see the metallic parts of her body. It was obvious now that she was not human.

"This is Aigis. As you can see, she's a 'Mechanical Maiden'."

The girl nodded again. "I am Aigis. My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES, effective immediately."

Yukari shook her head in disbelief. "No way... it's like she's... alive...!"

The other boys made similar sounds of awe before lowering their heads in embarrassment. Served them right for hitting on a robot.

"Anti-Shadow weapons were created ten years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows. Aigis is the last to be made and is the only one that still remains today."

Hamuko tilted her head. "Anti-Shadow weapon? Does that mean she can summon a Persona?"

Aigis nodded. "Yes, I am capable to summon the Persona 'Palladion'."

Everybody gasped in shock.

"She suffered major damage in combat and has remained in the lab ever since. It's still unclear as to why she suddenly reactivated herself this morning... Well, I hope you all get along!"

Fuuka immediately walked up to her and studied her with a critical eye. "An Anti-Shadow weapon with a will on her own? That's amazing!"

Yukari slowly raised her hand. "Um, by the way... When we saw you earlier, it seemed like you knew him..." She pointed at Minato and the robot gave a curt nod.

"Yes, it is very important for me to stay at his side."

Each person of the room had a similar look of confusion on their face, even the boy himself.

"Hm, maybe her identification system is malfunctioning... or maybe she is still half asleep... This is quite interesting..." He rubbed his chin before shaking his head. "Well, I can ponder this later. The night is still young, so have fun. See you all in the morning!" And then he walked off, leaving the team alone with their newest addition.

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"How can he have so much energy? We were all up late last night."

Minato shrugged as he leaned back on his chair with his book on his lap. It was already their third day on Yakushima, which meant that they would be going back the next day. He had not really taken a swim yet but he did not mind. He was not much of a swimmer, anyway.

"Do we have a mission at the beach today?" He looked up when he heard Aigis' monotone voice.

The other girls were not far behind her.

"Naah, it's nothing like that. We just came here to have some fun," Junpei answered with a grin.

Fuuka walked up to the humanoid, a small blush on her face. "Do you understand what it means to "have fun", Aigis?"

The robot nodded. "Of course. Recreation is the refreshment of one's mind and body."

The Magician clapped with his hands. "Exactly! Wow, you sure know a lot about us humans. Alright, let's take one last dip before we leave!" He ran into the sea, Aigis following in quick strides.

The greenette looked uncertain about it. "Is it really okay for her to do that?"

"Oh, I'm sure she's waterproof," Hamuko said with a wave of her hand.

After a few moments, Aigis was coming out again.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"It is best if we all engage in this activity together. An activity which only one person derives enjoyment in is not the optimal method to 'have fun'."

The other females' eyes widened before Yukari chuckled. "You're right. Let's do this!"

And then they were all in the sea.

Ikutsuki was soon with the remaining two of the team, a soft smile on his lips. "Are you enjoying yourselves? We've been quite busy during our time here, but it looks as if we can relax a bit today. I'm glad to see everyone is having so much fun. I've already told you what time the ship will be arriving tomorrow, yes? I'll most likely head over to the port early, so don't be late."

"We'll let them know."

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Fool Arcana!"**_

A few minutes later, Aigis was standing in front of them again, her face stoic as ever.

"Something the matter, Aigis?" the Summoner asked as he put aside his book.

"Minato-san, I think you should engage in this activity, too. You must be lonely here with only your book."

"No, it's alright. I don't really like swi-" He was cut off when his shirt was pulled over his head and he was thrown into the water head first.

This was going to be a hard time for him.

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Yup and another chapter done! I hoped you liked this one, the pick-up scene took a little longer, but who cares! I hope it's not too rushed for you guys.

Thanks to Girly 411 for beta-ing again!

**Review or wolves will come into your kitchen and eat all your food!**

Your Shadow!


	28. Chapter 28: Aigis, Goodbyes and Koro

Alright, here's the chapter! Sorry it takes so long lately. School is a bitch and my father is, too. Well, summer break is coming and I hope I will get to write more then.

Anyway, I kept all the reviews in mind and tried to improve my writing. Tell me if you like it ^^

**Edit: Alright, this is the beta-ed version you've all been waiting for! I hope you like it!**

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7/24/2009 Early Morning – Dormitory **Minato's Room**

"Good morning! Please wake up!"

Minato slowly opened his eyes before making them wide. Aigis was standing above him with her usual stoic face.

"Mission accomplished."

The boy quickly sat up in his bed as his head started to spin again.

"The paper on the wall says 'Do everything five minutes early'. Therefore, I woke you up five minutes in advance."

They were alone now. It was the best time to ask. "Um, Aigis, how do you know me?"

The robot tilted her head to the side in confusion. "I do not comprehend."

"Well, you say your highest priority is to be with me, but how do you even know me? It's not like you can just walk around town and accidentally see me, right?"

Her face remained the same. "I do not know why I feel this way about you, Minato-san, but it is the way it is. I cannot help wanting to stay by your side. Why do you ask?"

The boy shifted a little and fiddled with his sheet. "It's just... I get this feeling like I saw you before. I thought if you knew where we might have met, it would clear things up. Looks like I was wrong," he said with a shrug.

"Shall I inform the rest of the team of our current circumstances?"

"No!" He shrunk back again once he realized that he had raised his voice. "No, I think it would be better if we keep this between the two of us. Can you promise me to not tell anyone?"

The female-looking android nodded. "Affirmative. I shall not share this information with a third party." Just as she said that, they heard a knock on the door followed by a very familiar voice.

"Hey, you awake?" Yukari shouted from the other side of the wooden plate, "That girl disappeared and we can't find her anywhere. Think you can help us out? She might've gone out on her own like she did in Yakushima."

"I am not a girl... I am Aigis and I am here." They heard a confused noise but before the bluenette could even get out of his bed, the blonde had already opened the door.

The brunette gasped and took a step back in shock. "Wah! Aigis? How did you get in here?"

"He was asleep, so I unlocked the door."

"That's unlawful entry!" she shouted as she stomped her foot onto the floor, "Didn't we tell you to stay in the command room at night?"

"I propose to be on standby in this room from now on. Is this acceptable?"

Yukari seemed even more shocked now. "What? No, it's not acceptable!"

The newest member of SEES cocked her head to the side in confusion. "If there is a problem, I will address it promptly."

"Uh, the problem is it's against dorm regulations..." She looked like she was at the end of her rope. In desperation, the girl turned to Minato, who had just been observing until then and hoped that he could have gotten out of it without really interfering. No such luck. "D-Don't just sit there! Tell her!"

He uncomfortably scratched the back of his head. "Come on, Yukari-san. It's just Aigis. I don't mind her being here. What's the worst that can happen?"

The girl seemed even more shocked now. "T-The worst that could happen? There's a lot of stuff that could happen!" She glared at the robot in front of her for a few seconds. When she got no reaction, she gave a frustrated sigh. "Tch... Alright, I'll have a room prepared for you on the third floor. You can stay there. Oh, and don't leave the dorm by yourself, okay?"

"I will do as commanded."

The archer made an annoyed noise. "Ugh, I'm tired... I have practice this morning, so I gotta go." She grabbed the Anti-Shadow weapon by the hand. "But not before I get you back to the command room! Come on!"

The two of them walked out and closed the door, much to Minato's relief. He was able to change clothes alone after all.

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"Hey, Theo-san... Have you ever... you know?"

The golden-eyed man looked over the rim of his book to stare at the blue-haired boy currently sitting in the chair opposite of him. Igor had gone out to god-knows-where again, so it only left Theodore to watch over the Velvet Room. He raised a silver eyebrow.

"Have I ever... what?"

The Junior shifted a little. "You know, have you ever been out of here? Ever seen the real world?"

He was honestly surprised about the question. "I have no need to do such trivial things," he said bluntly, which seemed to anger the Persona-user.

"What do you mean, trivial? You can't just spend your whole life locked in here!" In a moment, the shorter jumped from his seat and was already dragging the probably older man to the door. "I won't allow it! Come on, the Paulownia Mall is right there! We should go see it!"

The attendant tried his best to struggle but Minato had a surprisingly strong grip on him. "What's wrong with you? All the time since I got here, you barely spoke and now you want me to come with you? Since when are you this energetic?"

"I just can't stand it if people waste their lives away! Come on, let's have some fun!"

Before he knew it, they were already standing inside the mall, water fountains all around them and happy chatter of the students. Theodore just stood there with his eyes wide in amazement. "So, this is the Paulownia Mall... Indeed, it is just as I imagined."

The Summoner smirked at the childish joy written all over the taller's face. "Excited?"

The other just huffed at him. "Phf, I'm not that easily amused." He looked around for a moment before the fountain in the center caught his interest and he walked over to it. "What is this? An aqueous duct in a place like this? The dwellers of this world must get thirsty very easily."

The Junior looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "I don't think that's it, Theo-san."

The man seemed shocked by the fact that he had not known something, but quickly regained his composure. "I-I know its true purpose, of course! Why... It's for washing one's hands!" He only received a blank stare.

"That's not it, either, Theo-san. It's just something for the scenery."

A small blush was coming up on those pale cheeks as the inhabitant of the Velvet Room turned away from him. "Of course I knew! I was just joking until now!" He was silent again for a few moments before scratching his chin. "But why would someone put it here?"

The gold-eyed male looked around for a bit until the police station caught his eye. He looked at the bulletins board before nodding to himself. "Most wanted... Reward... I see. So, the concept of subjugation requests is not unknown here. In that case, I assume that you need a part of the body as proof of your kill."

Minato was about to object when he registered what the other had said. "Wait, requests? You guys make requests? Why haven't I heard of it?"

The silverette shrugged. "I and the other servants of the Velvet Room were informed to not ask you any requests. It was a direct order of our Master."

"Who is your Master?"

"Oh, I'm sure you will meet him soon enough."

He was about to ask more but Theodore had already run off again. Sighing, the boy followed until he found him in front of the Escapade.

"This... Is this the 'Club' of the rumor...?"

The bluenette raised an eyebrow. "Rumor?"

"Yes, my sister once told me about it... 'Dancers, dictated by the sway of one's inner passion... A subterranean garden of uninhibited spectacle...' Though, this marks my first time seeing it in person. Well then, let's venture in..." He was about to open the doors but they did not budge. He looked a little confused for a moment before he read the sign on its door. His face contorted in horror. "It's... closed...? This can't be..." He lowered in his head and slowly turned away, obviously saddened.

Minato quickly looked around to find a way to cheer him up when he finally spotted the game center. He quickly grabbed the older's hand again and pointed at the building. "Hey, there's the Arcade! Let's check it out!"

Theodore tilted his head to the side. "Ar... cade...? ...A series of arches?" Before the bluenette could say anything against his theory, the man had already regained his composure and rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "A-Alright, let us investigate." They stopped in front of the crane game at the entrance and the hat-wearing male raised one of his silver eyebrows. "A 'Bird controlling game'...? The things inside this case... Are those birds? They look to my eye more like stuffed animals made out of cloth... Is this then a simulator to practice catching real cranes...?"

This time, the Junior did not even bother to correct him on anything as he observed how the other's mood started to lift again. Latter leaned in even closer to the machine and inspected the toys inside. After a few minutes, he looked to the side and seemed to notice something. "Ah... Excuse me. I note another aquatic pool over here."

Again, Minato's companion was already gone before he could respond. With a sigh, he turned around and walked over to him. He watched as the servant stood by the rim of the fountain and stared at the water. All of a sudden, Theodore stuck his hand into the water, making it splash around it. The Persona-user quickly ran up to him just in time to hear him murmur '8 degrees Celsius'. The boy's face grew even more confused.

"Did you just take the temperature of the water with your **hand**? Is that why you walked over here?"

The silverette blushed and looked away. "I-I have no idea what you might be talking about!" They stood like that for several minutes, one of them looking embarrassed and the other just with an unbelieving look on his face. Silence reigned on until the taller finally decided to break it. "We should head back now! I don't want Igor or the Master to find out that I left without their permission!" He quickly made his way to the door entering the Velvet Room and the Summoner followed without a word again. And here he thought they might have made progress.

As soon as they arrived, Theodore let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the long-nosed man had not returned yet. The hat-wearer swiftly walked over to his compendium, pulled something out and returned to Minato's side. He held out a summoning card out to him, which confused the boy only more. "Take this as a token of my gratitude. It is Hua Po, a very sweet fairy. She is able to use quite strong fire attacks."

The young Arisato nodded and took the Demon.

"Thank you very much for spending time with me. I hope we can repeat it someday."

The smile on the golden-eyed male's face had really startled him. He was so speechless that he just turned around and left.

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Minato waved his hand as he watched Souji's retreating form before walking away himself. Summer vacation had begun and the last few days had been quite entertaining: He had gotten a little money for his top grades in the exam, hung out with Theo a bit more, helped Saoto out at the shrine and bought some mangas with Junpei. For once, he had a pretty normal week without any problems. And then there was Souji. They had just wanted to go shopping in the mall again when the thugs from before had walked up to them. It seemed they were still mad because... He was not sure what exactly they were mad at but they had not let it go. They had threatened to hurt their other friends if they did not apologize, but the younger boy had just shrugged them off.

The Junior sighed, pulled out his phone, and checked his texts. He just hoped nothing happens while he is in Tokyo. From the corner of his eyes, he could see a familiar pair of headsets and a shock of blue hair. He swiftly closed his mobile and walked over to the boy, lightly tapping him on his shoulder.

"Hey there, Kouji-kun. It's been a while."

The boy gave out a startled yelp before swirling around. Two big, surprised eyes stared at him for a few moments before he relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. For the first time, the Summoner noticed the silver-haired man at the side of his look-a-like. The glowing red eyes scared him a bit and the way he wore that smirk of his was freaking him out. The soft voice of the youngest pulled him back to reality.

"Arisato-san, please don't sneak up on me like that," the shorter bluenette whined as he tried to regain his breath. The other chuckled lightly.

"Are you here to pick up Saoto?"

"Yep. Oh, by the way, this is my cousin Naoya. I think I mentioned him once." They exchanged polite bows before Kouji continued. "He said he forgot something in the back of the shrine, so he went back inside."

The Junior nodded and looked off into the distance. He had to go back to the dorm soon, since the sun was already setting, but he wanted to at least properly say good bye to his friend.

"You know..." He turned his head back to the older Kirita in front of him. "Thank you very much. If it weren't for you, Saoto would probably have stayed here and never gotten home. So, thank you. For being there for him." Just as he finished the sentence, his younger brother was running down the stairs with Koromaru close on his tail. He gave his sibling a brief hug before he took notice of his upperclassman.

The brunette smiled brightly. "Hey, Minato-nii-san! Here to see me off?"

The older nodded before ruffling the fellow Summoner's hair. "Man, I'm gonna miss you. The whole summer vacation without you? It's going to be a nightmare."

Koromaru gave an agreeing yip.

The younger giggled a little as he batted the older's hand away. "Yeah, like I would believe that. As far as I know, you will probably hang out with your other friends and completely forget about me." He turned around and pulled his family members by the sleeve. "Let's go. We have a train to catch."

Again, Minato watched his friend walk away from him, his hand waving. He had a feeling that the vacation might be more lonely than he had thought.

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7/29/2009 Dark Hour – Dormitory **Minato's Room**

"_Sorry to wake you up!"_

Minato opened his eyes and gripped his head to stop the throbbing he still got whenever Fuuka used her abilities. She did not seem to notice it and just kept on talking.

"_I detect a Shadow! Please hurry to the 4th floor!"_

A switch clicked inside his head and he jumped from his bed. After he had gotten dressed and his weapon ready, he was running up to the command room. The others were already there waiting for him. He noted that Akihiko was absent.

"What's going on?" he asked as calm as he could.

Mitsuru kept being stoic. "There's a Shadow in the city. Yamagishi found it by chance."

Yukari shifted, her face scrunched up in doubt and worry. "But the moon isn't full yet..."

"Actually, it seems to be just a normal Shadow," Fuuka tried to reassure them but she looked doubtful herself as she turned back to the monitors, "However, it IS outside of Tartarus..."

"It's near Naganaki Shrine."

Minato tried his best not to flinch at that.

"Akihiko went ahead, since he was in the vicinity. I'm sure he can handle it alone, but let's get ready just in case."

The team gave determined nods just as they heard the familiar beep of the communication devices they had used before Fuuka joined.

"_Akihiko here. I'm sorry, but I think it's best if you guys come right away."_

It would have been an understatement to say that the teens had been shocked to hear that.

Hamuko immediately took the lead and grabbed the microphone. "What's wrong, Senpai? If it's a powerful one, stay on defense!" she said in her usual leader voice.

The answer they got surprised them all. _"No, the Shadow's been defeated. In fact, it was already __defeated when I got here."_

Still not getting what he meant, Mitsuru kept on asking. "If that's true, what else is wrong?"

"_The little fella's been injured. I wanna save him if we can."_

Dread was creeping up in the Summoner but he tried his best to not show it on his face. Despite not knowing what exactly the boxer was talking about, they went anyway. When they arrived, they first noticed the blood spread on the floor. Then they saw whose blood it was.

"Koro-chan!" he shouted as he ran up to the dog together with Fuuka and Yukari. Minato took out his new Demon card, Hua Po, and started to work on the healing. "It's alright, little guy. You will be fixed in no time," he mumbled under his breath as he heard bits and pieces of the others' conversation. Something about Mitsuru not knowing the canine. After a few minutes of using his power without any real progress, he gave up. "This won't work. We need to bring him to a real doctor."

"Man... He's one tough fighter. He defeated the Shadow all by himself," Akihiko said and Junpei gasped.

"W-Wait a sec! Does that mean he's a Persona-user? This DOG?"

Aigis turned her mechanic head to the side, making the rest of the team notice the flowers and gifts that were standing at the gate. The bluenette had not noticed them the last time he had visited the shrine.

"He says, 'This is a place of peace and I wanted to protect it'," she said without any emotions in her voice.

The boy realized the flowers must have been for the priest who had lived at the shrine and was Koromaru's former owner. The girls seemed to notice, too, and sadly looked at the floor.

Junpei, who had not been able to catch the atmosphere, raised his eyebrows at the robot. "Uh, Aigis? Don't tell me you can translate dog language too..."

The female-looking android gave him a look that was almost mocking had it not been so stoic. "Canines do not have their own language. However, speech is not the only means of communication," she explained, not caring if the others understood or not.

Their red-headed upperclassman nodded and pulled out her mobile. "Alright, let's report to the Chairman so we can conclude this mission." She stared at the dog, who still had his head on their male Fool's lap. "As for a vet... It may be midnight but I believe that I can arrange one." They had stayed long enough for the animal ambulance to arrive and take Koromaru with them.

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Minato lay in his bed, trying his best to fall asleep. Obviously, it was not working. He was tempted to just go out and take a walk, but it was dangerous to be out in the Dark Hour and besides, his body was aching as if he had ran three marathons in a row. He might as well have, considering the amount of stairs Hamuko had made them run. It had been a new record for SEES to defeat more than fifty Shadows in one night. They were lucky they had found so many Soul Candies to restore their concentration, otherwise they would not have been able to defeat the last Guardian before they reached the barrier. Now that he though about it, his sister was leaving for Yasoinaba tomorrow. That was probably the reason she wanted to train before she left. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see familiar outlines of a person.

"Not asleep yet? I heard youths your age need at least six hours of sleep per day? Do you think it's alright for you to stay up?" Pharos asked as he got closer to him and sat down just beside his legs, "It has become quite lively around you, hasn't it? So, do you get along with the others?" As if already knowing the answer, he just kept on talking. "It is one week until the next full moon. Do you think you all trained enough? To be honest, I'm not too worried about you. But I'm not too sure about your friends. Please remain cautious. Denial is one of the greatest flaws of the human heart." He jumped to his feet again and smiled at the teen. "I will come to see you again!"

This time, Minato did not even bother to wonder how the boy had disappeared as he slowly faded into oblivion.

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This is it! I hope you like it! Oh, for the readers who live in Hastings, maybe we will meet each other. I'm the crazy Asian girl in blue/green.

See you in a week!

Your Shadow.


	29. Chapter 29: Tower and the fourth Moon

Alright, since I don't know how to do it any other way, I'm going to say it right off the bat.

**There may not be any updates for a while. And this time, I'm serious!**

This has many reasons. First, our computer is busted. I've been telling my parents for **years **to get a new one, but they won't, so ours is a 6 year old model that crashes every 5 minutes. I'm lucky I even get to write this. Second, it's summer vacation. Since I don't have school and don't need to learn (Pff, as if I ever needed to **learn **for school) my parents urge me to get outside and don't become a vampire that's in her room all day.(This was not a twillight reference. I'm not even sure if it is considered one) Anyway, sorry to say this, but no chapters. August 18th, at the earliest, since school is starting then (It's also my birthday!) I still hope you enjoy this chapter.

This is the place where Tatsuya enters! Hurray!

**Edit: Here's the Beta-ed version! Thanks to Girly 411 again!**

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"Minato?"

There were many things that the bluenette would have expected when he headed for Paulownia Mall. He had expected to meet up with Theo and look around Port Island some more, meet his sister to be dragged off to do girls' stuff. He had not expected to bump into a very familiar red-head on his way into the police station. He squinted his eyes at the taller boy.

"Tatsuya? What are you doing here?" he asked as he watched the older dust his chest off. He had not really grown since the last time they saw each other but he definitely looked older. Wiser, even.

"Well, I was just in town. No big deal, really." Tatsuya looked off into the distant for a little while as if waiting for someone to come and then back at the police station. After a few moments, the 19-year-old turned back to his old friend. "You want to hang out for a bit? I've got some time."

The shorter thought for a few seconds before giving a quick nod.

"Right, could you show me the way to the next restaurant? I don't know my way around yet."

The Summoner couldn't help but chuckle at the words. Ignoring the other's protests, he led them to Chagall Cafe. It was not a restaurant, but it would do. The two of them ordered their drinks and stared at each other.

"Well, how is life going?" Minato asked and Tatsuya awkwardly rubbed his neck.

"Well, what can I say? College is a bitch and so is my dad. Always saying that I should try better and stuff. Mom's pretty mad at me, herself. Is disappointed that my grades are not top-rate, you know." One look and he knew, indeed, Minato didn't. "Alright, but there's got to be _someone _nagging at you about _something_, right?"

The boy tilted his head to the side. "There is Kirijou-Senpai, who says I should eat more food so I won't get tired as fast." _…__on the mission to climb a gigantic tower, _he almost added but he resisted the urge.

The red-head groaned and ruffled the hair on the back of his head. "Not exactly what I mean but close enough, I guess, since I **know **that you are an ace in school." He stared off into the distant once again and then snapped his head back. "Oh, right. I've found some friends after you left, so you can stop worrying about that." He had no intention to stop the smile that was crawling onto his face.

"I'm glad to hear that. So, how are they?"

"One is a blue-haired punk with a soft core, the other is a hot blond chick with a crush on me, and the last one is a feminine dude with an inferiority complex and talks to flowers. Enough information?" A small chuckle.

"Well, kinda. I found some friends, too, by the way."

"And?"

"They're pretty nice. Well, at least most of them. One or two are scaring me to death." Their orders were served and the shorter took a little sip of his hot chocolate. "So, why are you in Port Island? Aren't you supposed to be back home in Sumaru and hang out with your new friends?" An unreadable look flashed over Tatsuya's face but it was gone before he could figure out what it meant.

"Aniki's job. You know the deal." The bitterness in his voice did not go unnoticed. "Anyway, I will stay here for the break. Maybe we could hang out together and you could show me the town?"

Minato smiled again and gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yep! I would be glad to!" He heard a crash again and the world turned gray again.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Tower Arcana!"**_

A card with a tower being hit by lightning fell into his hand. Something was odd about it. He took a closer look and noticed that the lines at the bottom of the card, which showed the progress of their friendship, were already three. Was it because they already knew each other? He did not have much time to think about it, since the world was set in motion again.

"Is it just me or are you way more energetic than you were back then?"

They sat there for several hours just talking to each other.

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8/2/2009 Sunday – Evening **Dorm Lounge**

"...and then he just beat that guy up with his sword! That was totally amazing!" Akihiko told the others in a childish joy.

Minato and him went to the Kendo Regionals today and while the younger was only mildly interested, the Senior was totally amazed about the passion of the competitors. The others did not seem to listen to him either with the exception of Ken, who was hanging onto the young man's every word. It was kinda creepy when he thought about it, but it was better having an idol like the silverette instead of those Hip-Hop stars that were in nowadays. Plus, the day had not been completely for nothing. He had had the chance to have a nice day with his Senpai, so it was not all bad. He heard the door behind him opening and closing and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, welcome back, Aneki."

Hamuko gave him a small nod and walked over to the rest of the team.

Junpei gave her a bright smile. "Hey! So, how did the training camp go? Did they have many cute girls there?"

The red-head smirked. "Yeah, a lot, even."

The baseball-player gasped. "What?" He slumped onto his knees. "Man, I should have gone with you..." That earned him a swift hit on his skull.

"How can you joke around like that? The moon is almost full!"

Ken tilted his head to the side. "Why? What happens when the moon is full?"

All of them snapped their heads to the boy, remembering that they were not supposed to talk about their mission when he was around.

Mitsuru was the first to regain her composure. "It is nothing you have to worry about, Amada. You will learn of it soon enough."

The brunette did not look pleased but he accepted it nonetheless.

"S-So, what did you and the others talk about? If it is some juicy rumor, I don't want to be the last one to hear about it," Yukari quickly changed the topic.

Their leader thought for a moment before answering. "Well, boys, ghost stories. You know, the usual stuff." She threw a side-way glace to her younger twin but he paid no mind to it. She was doing that a lot lately.

After about half an hour, the chatter of the team had not ceased and the bluenette rose from his seat. "Well, I got somewhere to go. See you later." The others just gave him a bunch of nods as he walked away. He was rather startled when his sister came up to him.

"Hey, Blueberry... You don't plan to join any sport clubs, do you?" That question really surprised him. Why would she worry about something like that?

He shook his head. "No, I'm not really into stuff like that."

She seemed to relax a little. "That's good to hear," she said and walked away again.

The boy briefly wondered why she wanted to know but then just hurried off to the station.

He soon arrived in the back alley where Shinjiro was waiting for him. Although it was summer vacation, not surprisingly, few teens were there. He quickly spotted the older male in the corner and was about to call out to him but he stopped in his tracks when he saw what he was doing. There were pills in his hand. They did not look store bought and sure as hell did not look like medication. He did not know why, but there was something about those pills that seemed dark. That reminded him of something he had met before and something he should never let others wish for. Anger started to swell up in him as he ran up to the elder and slapped the pills out of his hand.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he shouted from the top of his lungs. He did not care if the other people were staring at him. He was too mad to care. "Seriously? Drugs? I know that every member of the team is fucked up, but I never thought any of us would take drugs! Are you a friggin' moron? If you want to die so badly, just join again and get it over with! Do you know how angry Akihiko-Senpai would be once he finds out? And believe me, he will one way or another!" It was not often when he actually swore but he thought it was the adequate thing to do.

Despite his evident anger, the older just clicked his tongue and looked off to the side. "Get off my hide, kid. This got nothing to do with you."

That only made the younger even more mad. "Nothing to do with- Look, I know we're not all buddy-buddy, but I thought after all that time we spent together, you might have a little more faith in me. Trust me, damn it!"

The brunette still would not look him into the eyes and his face grew darker.

"Besides, you're important to the others. Don't you think it's selfish to do something as stupid as this?" He turned away and started to walk away from him. Before he exited the alley, he turned back one more time. "I'm disappointed in you, Senpai. I don't know what drove you into this, but I expected you to be strong enough to get over your problems and face them. Who would have thought you would be so weak?" And then he finally walked away.

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"...and then he caught the thief! All by himself!" a gossiping woman in her late twenties shouted through the streets.

Her taller friend snickered. "Yes, I also heard that he is fairly young. Maybe I should try to get a date with him."

The other laughed. "Good luck with that! I heard that all the females in his department like him, but he doesn't respond! Word is that he has a girlfriend back home. She's supposed to be, like, three years younger than him and a reporter!"

"What, really? How long have they been together?"

"About a year. You remember those murders that happened in Sumaru? About that time."

"Sumaru... Yeah, I think I remember. Something about a curse and a mobile phone..."

"Yeah, the Joker curse! He was part of the investigation and supposedly, he met her there."

"Who would have thought? How does she look?"

"My cousin works at the same magazine and told me she was quite the looker."

The taller sighed. "There goes my chance. Well, the best guys are either taken or gay, anyway."

"What chance? You never had one from the beginning!"

"Say that again, you...!" The rest of the conversation was lost in the chatter of the crowd.

Minato looked up to Tatsuya, who was pulling his face into a grimace. The bluenette frowned and waved his hand in front of the other's face, trying to get his attention. They had decided to go to the Strip Mall that day and ate a few burgers at Wild Duck's when they heard the women talking in a booth right behind them. The older had immediately tensed when he heard the object of their talk. The red-head snapped back to reality and shook his head.

The younger frowned even more. "Are you alright?"

A small nod was all he got in return.

He watched the women from afar and then asked his question. "They were talking about Katsuya-san, right?"

Another stiff nod.

Noticing that it was not a topic the older would like to talk about, he decided to not pry. "So, who was that girlfriend they were talking about?"

That fully got him the other's attention as Tatsuya blinked a few times before answering. "I don't know about any girlfriend but I think they talked about Maya."

The Summoner tilted his head to the side. "Maya?"

"Yeah, she's a good friend with Aniki." His face darkened yet again.

"W-Well, how is she?" Minato tried his best to keep his voice cheery and not as nervous as he actually felt. It seemed with everything he did, he would trigger Tatsuya to be down.

The college student thought for a moment.

"She's a little shorter than me, has black hair, and always runs around with a big smile on her face. She likes to "think positive", I guess." He looked up to the ceiling, trying the best way to describe her. "She's a very happy and bright person. As in, her smile is enough to make you smile and when she's sad, there has to be something seriously wrong. She's supportive of pretty much everyone as long as they have a good core, so even if you, I dunno, killed fifteen people but had a good reason for it, she will still like you. She's pretty hot, if that's what you're wondering about, but more like the cool big sister type." His face darkened once again. "I don't know if Aniki and she are dating but they do seem to have a... very close relationship."

There were a few moments of silence between the two teens before he continued. "But that's just me talking. I don't know if it's true or not." There was another flash of emotions on his face before he gave a tired smile. "And here I am, babbling about my live again. I hope I'm not boring you."

His friend shook his head. "It's alright. That's what friends are for, right?"

The smile on the other's face seemed genuine this time. "Right."

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Tower Arcana!"**_

"Enough of me. How is your sister and your friends?"

They kept on chatting for a little while until the sun set.

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"Well, it's a full moon once again," Ikutsuki said as he sat down in his arm chair in the command room.

Like he said, it was another full moon and time for another encounter with a strong Shadow. The team had gathered once again to discuss their plans for the night. Fuuka had already found their foe and confirmed that it was not an ordinary one this time. Akihiko was obviously pleased while the greenette looked a little uncertain.

"But there's one thing strange about it... It seems like it's underground... almost 10 meters."

Hamuko frowned and tapped her chin. "Could it be in some kind of basement...?" she mumbled under her breath.

A bunch of numbers flashed over Aigis' eyes before she spoke up. "According to my records, there is no structure in the area that matches those criteria. However, in the past there was an underground facility that was used by the military."

Yukari looked quite surprised. "Military? Are you serious?"

"Well, the architectural and geographic data for the area were uploaded into her memory bank. Then again, the information hasn't been updated in a decade," Ikutsuki answered.

Junpei looked a little annoyed. "Well, then I think it's time for an update on that..."

The others paid no mind to it and just moved on with the conversation.

"So, what do we do?" Yukari asked in the round.

"There's no way of knowing without actually going there..." Fuuka informed them.

The team all looked at their field leader, who was mulling over something. After a few moments of silence, she looked and gave a determined look. "Since the situation is still unknown, let's go there before we decide the formation. Everybody agree?"

SEES nodded before going their way.

Minato had stayed silent all the while, thinking about what Pharos had said when they last met. To say he was worried would be an understatement. He didn't know what the child meant when he talked about 'denial being the fatal flaw of the human heart', but it was definitely nothing good. He looked around the group of teens, all of them with a look of determination on their faces. What would happen tonight? He honestly didn't know but his senses were telling him to look out for the others.

They soon arrived at the military bunker, several types of weapons scattered around them. But that was not what he first noticed. It was the heavy, familiar smell that lingered around them. It was like a force pushing him down. There was only one word that came to mind. _Death._ The others looked around for a moment, trying their best to not jump at the scenery.

All of a sudden, a voice called out to them from behind. "Well done..."

The team swirled around, all eyes searching for the source of the voice. Out of the darkness behind the doors, two figures walked up to them. One of them was a shirtless man with long white hair that was growing past his shoulders and a gun strapped on his belt. The other was a teen with odd-shaped, blue hair, glasses, a green bomber jacket, and a suitcase in his hand. Minato immediately recognized them as parts of the trio he saw shooting at someone in the back alley.

The man chuckled. "My, this is the first time we meet face-to-face, isn't it?"

The team took on their battle stances.

Fuuka quickly hid behind the bluenette, shock evident on her face. "What's going on...? Lucia didn't sense a thing until just now..." she mumbled and the Summoner tightened his fists and his hold on his only Demon card that seemed to work, Hua Po. He had not felt them either until they entered the room.

The man chuckled again. "My name is Takaya and this is Jin." He pointed at the boy beside him. "To some, we are known as Strega."

Minato wasn't sure why he would mention that to him, but he quickly dismissed that thought. Information was power and they need all the power they had to fight what may come. "We've been keeping an eye on you... From what we hear, you've undertaken a "righteous" battle to save the world. But we've come here tonight to put an end to that dream." He took a quick look at each member of the group before continuing. "You have gained new allies, yet this land still crawls in sin. Tartarus is towering as beautifully as always..."

Junpei gritted his teeth loud enough for everyone to hear. "But why the hell would you wanna stop us?" he shouted in his rage.

The boy named Jin shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Simple..." he said with a small wave of his hand, "If the Shadows and the Dark Hour disappear, then so will our power. And we can't let that happen, now can we?"

Minato's eyes narrowed. "Power...?" A look of understanding crossed his face. He tightened his fists. "Could it be... Persona-users?"

The white-haired man chuckled again. "Aren't you smart? Well, think a little more. Only a select few wield the power of a Persona... And the Dark Hour is a frontier that is ours only to explore... and so is the Tower of Demise..."

_Tower of __D__emise... __D__oes he mean Tartarus?_, the bluenette calmly thought.

Yukari, in contrast, was furious. "THAT'S your reason? Are you crazy? There's no telling what will happen if we don't do something about the Shadows!"

Takaya let out a small laugh. "What difference does it make...? There will always be disasters, whether they are caused by Shadows or arise from human folly. No one can predict the future, anyway. But that is all beside the point..." A dark grin creeped its way onto his face. "Surely, you will acknowledge the sense of significance the Dark Hour has given you."

Hamuko raised her naginata a bit more. "What are you talking about? You think we like to fight everyday?"

The man's grin grew even wider. "Is it not so? How about the rest of you...? Do you also wish to return to your pathetic, ordinary lives?"

The Summoner took a look around the group.

Jin snorted at them. "You would lose your purpose if you did that, wouldn't you?" The glasses-wearing boy inspected each of them closely before pointing his finger at Yukari and Junpei. Both of them flinched. "You two, don't you ever hesitate? There are moments when you ask yourself if it is really okay, aren't there?"

Neither of them answered at first but then the brunette shook her head and reached for her Evoker. "I never think about anything like that, you bastard!" she shouted as she pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.

Takaya laughed out loud this time. "If you are hesitant, then it's no use to use that Evoker." He crossed his arms and smiled. "What are you afraid of?"

Something shattered and a figure appeared behind him. It looked like a naked man with blood red veins snaking around his body that formed into gigantic wings on his lower back. While the others felt shock about the fact that the long-haired man could summon his Persona without any help, Minato felt sick in his stomach. It felt as if something deep inside him struggled to get out and reach out for it. Before he could finish that thought, Akihiko charged forward, ignoring everything they had said about being cautious.

Takaya grinned even more and raised his hand. "You've each got your own reason for fighting. "Justice" is only an excuse." He made a slashing move that his Persona imitated. "And that makes you all hypocrites!"

A block of ice flew at the boxer, surprising him enough to stop his movement. Without thinking, the bluenette dashed towards his Senpai, positioning himself between the older and the projectile. He felt power surging through his body and all flowing to his raised fist, forming a bright red flame. When he punched the ice with it, there was a loud hiss and then all that was left was a puddle of water on the floor.

The two members of Strega stared at him for a few moments before grinning again. "What an interesting power you have..." They turned around and walked out of the door, but not without turning around one last time. "Well, have fun in there. You will probably have much time to kill."

A loud screeching echoed in the room before the massive metal doors fell, effectively trapping them inside. Akihiko and Minato tried to stop them in time, but no such luck. They turned around to the rest of the team again.

"So, what now?" the taller Arisato asked, receiving odd looks at the calmness of his voice.

Aigis looked at him with her blank blue eyes. "We will be alright. Rather than wasting our energy, I suggest we deal with the Shadow first."

Mitsuru nodded. "You're right. We cannot allow something to disturb our wills." She looked at the other red-head who was deep in thoughts. "So, how is the formation for tonight?"

The girl thought a little more before looking at her best friend with worry in her eyes. "Yukari, you will you be alright? Can you summon your Persona again?"

The archer smiled and waved with her hands. "Nah, I will be fine! Just a little slip up just now!"

Hamuko nodded and started to explain their strategy. All the while, her brother tried his best to not show his discomfort. He still felt a little sick after his encounter with Strega and the always present smell of death was not helping. After Fuuka warned them that this Shadow was different from the ones they fought before, they were running down the halls of the bunker. They saw many skeletons on their way to the target, some of them with journals or diaries which told stories of war. The feeling only got worse the further they walked in and he started to get dizzy. He tried to shake it off, but it was easier said than done. After a few minutes, they found some tread marks and soon after, the Shadow, which was seated on a tank, and SEES got into position.

"_I see! It's using the tank as an armor!" _Fuuka stated the obvious again,_ "Be careful everybody! I__ts__ Arcana is Justice! Wait, it's Chariot? What's going on?" _She seemed rather panicked about not knowing the Arcana.

The rest of the team paid no mind to it and charged into combat. Akihiko and Aigis mainly used Physical attacks at the front while Yukari and the bluenette stayed at the back and used magic. Hamuko and Mitsuru were in the middle, alternating between the two. After a little while, the tank shot at the Summoner, knocking him down. From the ground, he heard a screeching noise. He heard the others gasp and looked up from his position as best as he could. The Shadow had gotten off the tank, which had raised itself onto its rear wheels, revealing a square, yellow face.

The greenette let out a cry of comprehension. _"I see! The vehicle and turret are two different types! One's Chariot, the other is Justice! They are coordinating their attacks, so be careful!"_

Minato tried his best not to groan. He slowly rose back to his feet just in time to see the team finishing off one of the Shadows. The other seemed to grin and cast a spell, reviving the fallen one with no injuries.

"What?" Yukari shouted as she shot the arrow.

Just as he was about to summon Orpheus again, something happened that he thought never would. A loud shot echoed through the room as Hamuko fell and it was as if the world was falling apart. The boy heard his heart thumping in his chest as adrenaline was rushing through his body. Ignoring, the others' cries for him, he ran to his sister and carried her onto the sidelines. After checking her pulse, he was relieved to know that she was only unconscious. He quickly took out one if the revival beads that the girl had given him and used it on her.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open again before widening. "Behind you!" she shrieked.

Since he had not been healed from his own shot yet, he had difficulties lifting his sister. He looked over his shoulder and saw the Chariot Arcana rushing at them and made an important decision. He grabbed Hamuko by the arm and threw her out of harm's way, letting himself be hit. The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air. The voices of his teammates were dull and then he finally collided with the wall. He saw Akihiko running up to him, shaking his shoulder and shouting at him, which only barely registered. There was only one thought that was rushing through his mind before he slipped into oblivion.

_Why do I always have to be a burden?_

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Cliffhanger, anyone? Yeah, I like to tease you! Problems with the fighting again, sorry it took so long.

**Review or a cat will fall from the sky and eat your hair!**

Your Shadow!


	30. Chapter 30: Of Mushrooms and Knives

Alright, my brain finally decided to get back to work and finish this chapter! Sorry about the Hiatus, guys, but I **will **finish this story, even if I were to break both of my legs and had to be hospitalized! Or one of my arms or something.

Oh, right, I started to make an original story! The prologue should be up soon on my blog, so check it out when you get the chance!

I'm still a little depressed, though, since I recently found out my hamster has a tumor and has to be put to sleep. It will happen in about a week. Just wanted to tell you guys if I were to no update for a while again.

**Thanks to Girly 411, this is finally beta-ed!**

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_All he could see was darkness._

_Wherever he looked, just darkness. He was running, just running ahead. The only sounds were his feet hitting the hard ground and his shortening gasps for air. Something squished behind him and he grew even more scared._

_All of a sudden, he was in a school. It looked suspiciously like Tartarus. __He wasn't sure where he was running to, but he knew it wasn't far anymore. He made a sharp turn to the right and halted in shock. It was a dead end. They boy frantically looked around, trying to find a way out of the hall when he heard the familiar squishing again. He swirled around and faced his hunter. His eyes widened. It was a-_

"G-Giant Mushroom?" Minato shouted as he tensed up in his bed.

He gasped for air for a few moments before taking a look at his surroundings. He was in his room. A wave of nausea washed over him and he relaxed again. What had he been doing yesterday? His head felt like someone had hit him with a sledgehammer. He shook it for a moment before the memories flooded his mind. The Full Moon. Bunker. Strega. The Shadow. His sister lying on the ground. The sensation of flying. And then, nothing. A loud squeak echoed in the otherwise quiet room. The bluenette turned his head to the door.

"Oh, hey, Aneki."

Hamuko just gave him a small nod in response, pulled the chair from the table, and sat down beside the bed. Silence reigned over the room and the younger awkwardly scratched his head. It was even worse than before.

He stared at his sister's blank face for a moment before speaking up. "So, how did the fight end? I know we won and all, but I kinda passed out, so..."

The girl glanced at him for moment before closing her eyes. "After we brought you out of harm's way, we were able to easily defeat it. The Chairman let us out soon after."

Silence once again. This time it took less time to break it. Surprisingly, it was the red-head that did. What she said was not exactly what he expected or wanted.

"I will take you off the team for a while." He was about to protest, but she pointed her finger at his nose. "Let me finish. Although we healed your wounds, it will still ache and you will have difficulties walking around for the next few days. Plus, your choice of close-range weapons and your low endurance make it difficult to fight for you without getting hurt. So, until that changes, you will stay inside your room and rest."

The boy wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind. He stared up at the ceiling before he made an important decision. "So, if I can find a suitable weapon, I can join the team once I'm well enough, right?"

The girl nodded as if she expected him to say that.

Minato slightly sat up and gave his twin a determined look. "Can you help me?"

The little twitch at the corner of her mouth did not go unnoticed.

"I know it's much to ask, but I don't think I will be able to do it alone. I won't learn enough on my own and you're the best person there is to teach me. So, please!" He bowed his head down. "Please teach me!"

He heard something akin to a snort and looked up again. The corners of Hamuko's lips curled slightly, forming a small smile. It could have gone through as a smirk, but that light in her eyes told him otherwise. It was different from her usual expression; it was warm and inviting.

The girl sighed and shook her head. "Do I have a choice?" She stood up and walked over to the door. "We will start training in two days. Until then, rest up. You will need it." The evil grin on her face made him wonder if it was a good decision to ask her. Before she left, the red-head turned her head one last time. "Oh, Kirijou-Senpai asked us to come to the fourth floor later in the evening. I will come with the others and get you, alright?" Without waiting for an answer, she closed the door.

Minato briefly wondered if she had planned all this when the world turned gray again.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Sun Arcana!"**_

With a small smile of his own, he lied down on his bed again and fell asleep.

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Hamuko had not been joking when she said she would come with the others. All of the Juniors plus Aigis were gathered and senseless chatter filled the air. Yukari walked up to the red-head and smirked.

"So, there has been that rumor going around. You and Odagiri-kun, huh?" She waggled her eyebrow as their leader lightly smacked her arm.

"Shut up, it's nothing like that."

"Riiight, he just confessed to you for fun. Totally believable." She just received another punch to her shoulder.

Minato, who had been observing the conversation until that point, decided to speak up. "Who's Odagiri?"

That question seemed to shock the girls and they gave each other uncertain looks. (Un)fortunately, Junpei was there to help them. He walked up to the short boy and grinned.

"Duh! It's Hamuko's boyfriend of course! You probably saw him in the hallway once or twice! You know, gelled back hair, stuck up, president of the disciplinary committee, that stuff."

Minato closed his eyes for a moment before remembering someone that fit the description. That guy always hit him in the head whenever he came into the classroom and saw him sleeping. He pulled his face into a grimace.

"Yeah, I know him. He's a jerk," the bluenette said without any hesitation in his voice.

The others just gaped at the bluntness of his statement but his twin was the first to recover.

"No, he's not! He came a long way since the beginning and..." For some reason, she started to get red in the face as the continued on. "He's... well... a very nice guy and..." Her face got even redder and she quickly turned away and walked away.

Yukari just chuckled and wagged her eyebrows again. "Tooootally nothing going on, huh?" And then she followed their leader.

Aigis tilted her head to the side, confusion clear on her normally blank face. "I do not comprehend."

Fuuka patted her shoulder a little and gave the robot a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Aigis. You don't need to."

While not looking satisfied, the blonde just nodded and walked away, together with the greenette.

The baseball-player leaned in closer to the younger male. "So, what are you gonna do?"

The Arisato narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Dude, that guy confessed to your sister, is a complete jerk, and she might like him too! I'm surprised you aren't totally flippin' right now!"

Minato close his eyes and shook his head. "Is there anything I **can **do? I mean, it's her life. She gets to decide what to do with it. While I don't really like Odagiri, I have no right to intervene in her personal affairs. I mean, it's not like she ever did something to drive people away from me, right?" When he looked at the older again, he noted that the latter looked a little pale, but dismissed it. Instead, he just smiled at him. "Alright, we should go now or the others will start the meeting without us!" He quickly ran ahead and met back up with the girls, closely followed by Junpei. Passing by his classmate, he swiftly ripped open the doors to the command room, freezing in his steps the moment he saw who was waiting inside.

"Koro-chan?" Fuuka cried as she ran over to the dog and crouched down beside the grey dog. "Where did you get this collar...?" she asked in awe as she trailed it with her fingertips.

It looked like an ordinary metal collar until it reached the height of his ears where round devices with plastic wings were attached. The canine also wore a beige shirt over his chest. He gave a happy yip as a greeting.

"That collar is designed to help him control his Persona. In other words, it's an Evoker for dogs," Mitsuru answered as if she was talking about the weather.

Hamuko scratched her head. "Wait a second. So, you mean, you will send him into battle? Seriously?"

"It was a surprise for me as well. But according to the tests, it's quite possible. In fact, it was the Chairman's suggestion." She looked down to the dog and Minato could have sworn their Senpai was smiling. "We'll be looking after him here in the dorm and since the only supervisor is the Chairman, it should be alright."

Yukari also crouched to the small animal and patted him on the head, worry evident in her eyes. "Are you alright with this, Koro-chan? You shouldn't push yourself after you were injured."

"Woof!"

Everybody looked confused before Aigis spoke up. "He said, 'I want to return the favor.'"

Koromaru gave an agreeing yip and Junpei leaned down to him and ruffled the fur on his neck.

"Well, welcome aboard! Who cares if you're a dog? You're one of us now, so make yourself at home! Alright, I'll walk him! It's summer vacation, after all!"

Their red-headed Senior smiled again. "Indeed it is. Enjoy your vacation while you can; summer classes are starting next week. I'll make sure you graduate."

Junpei froze for a second before letting out a shaky laugh. "H-Hey, good one, Senpai! You almost had me there."

Mitsuru's smile faded for a second and a hint of confusion could be seen on her face. "Oh, it's no joke. Each of us will be taking intensive courses."

A cold chill ran down the twins' and the baseball-player's spine.

"I know how difficult it's been balancing school and our late night excursions, since you have no time to properly study. I apologize for that."

Minato did not understand what was so hard about it. It's not like they were out all night or something.

"That's why the Chairman agrees that this is a good idea. I thought I told Takeba and Yamagishi."

Hamuko swirled around to the other girls and grabbed them by the shoulders. "Really? Why haven't you told us?"

"Uhm... I'm sorry. I forgot to mention it..." Fuuka mumbled nervously.

The Magician threw his arms over his head and let out a loud groan. "Great, now we have to LEARN on our break? What about our youthful freedom?"

Yukari's eyes narrowed as she walked up to her classmate and poked him in his chest. "Hold it. With your grades, you should be thankful!"

The male just imitated spitting onto the ground. "Yeah, right! This sucks!" He was about to say more when the short bluenette interrupted him.

"Wait a second!" All eyes turned to him. "I get why Junpei has to go." He deliberately ignored the protest coming at him from the side. "But why do **I **have to go? I'm always at the top of the class! I don't **need **summer classes!"

Everybody's eyes widened and Akihiko, who had just observed the whole situation, tilted his head to the side and raised his hand to his chin. "You don't like school?"

The question made the Kohai huff and cross his arms over his chest. "Are you kidding me? Just because I'm good at studying and enjoy to learn new things doesn't mean that I have to like being cooped up in a room with a bunch of morons while having to listen to an adult babbling about stuff I probably won't need in my life later on!" He turned around to the shocked faces of his classmates and shrugged. "No offense."

Although he was still stunned, Junpei just shrugged. "None taken, dude."

They all turned back to Mitsuru who had her mysterious smile on her lips again. There was a moment of silence before she just let out a small chuckle. That was the moment Minato knew he lost and let his head sink in defeat.

"This seriously sucks," he mumbled.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see his sister nod. "No kidding."

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"Shouldn't you be in bed resting?"

Minato looked up from what he was reading to see Pharos sitting on his bed as usual. The lights in the room were all out and only the sickly green light of the Dark Hour was illuminating the room. The teen just smiled and looked at his table again.

"Yeah, maybe, but it's the only time no one's bothering me because they are in Tartarus. Perfect timing to do some research."

The shorter tilted his head to the side.

"Well, about Personae and Shadows mostly, but also about my summoning powers and their origins." He searched for a moment before pulling out an old sheet of paper with faded letters on its surface. "Looks like the ability to summon demons is normally connected to the blood of one's person and their family background. From the old writings Saoto allowed me to borrow, I know there are still several Summoning clans remaining, though most of them are operating under the radar now. One particularly famous one, the Kuzunoha clan, was once a unification of four different families, combining their powers to serve their country." He paused again to look at a newer newspaper article. "Looks like they are mostly operating as detectives now and less as Summoners. Also changed their name to Shirogane now."

He could feel a light pressure coming from the back of his chair as Pharos curiously leaned over his shoulder to look at his work. "But nothing that could connect demons to you?"

"Sadly, no."

Pharos leaned even more over the taller's shoulder so he was almost lying on him like an oversized cat. "Anything about Personae?"

The bluenette looked over the various notes again and finally found what he was searching for. It was obviously not part of the other stuff scattered on the desk with its brown envelope and white name tag. The Junior opened it and scanned the paper before answering.

"I got some things from the school library, but I haven't found much yet. I only know that it's something about a person's psyche or something."

There was a beat of silence before Pharos got off the older and sat back down on the bed. "Oh, right! I remembered something!"

Minato turned back to the boy and nodded, motioning him to continue.

"The end won't be brought about by anyone in particular... It's coming because there are so many people who wish for it... As if it was destined from the start. But doesn't that seem like a strange thing to wish for?"

The older thought for a moment before shaking his head. "That can't be. I don't think anyone would actually wish for something like that."

The black-haired male had to think to himself for a moment before tilting his head to the side. "Are you sure? What about those who wish for an end to their suffering, who wish to find peace?" He just let that one sink in for a moment before smiling again. "Well, enough about that for now. There's something else I wanted to tell you today. Soon, the poisonous flowers will bloom... One in your own garden, three in the garden opposite of yours. I don't know if it has anything to do with the end, but I thought it would be better to tell you."

The high-school student nodded again, a small smile on his face. "Thanks for the warning."

The child chuckled and got off the bed. "I'm glad to hear that from you. I'll come again if I find out anything useful. That's what friends are for, right? Well, take care, alright?" And with that, he was gone again.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Death Arcana!"**_

The boy just sat there for a few minutes before sighing.

"Maybe I should start getting worried how I'm not worried about this kind of stuff anymore." He turned back to his work, trying his best not to wonder about his own mental stability.

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8/10/2009 After School – Paulownia Mall **Police Station**

The younger Arisato groaned as he shifted his schoolbag on his shoulder. He knew he wouldn't like summer school, but he hadn't expected it to be that annoying. At least Mitsuru would be off his hide for a while about sleeping in class too much. He looked to his sister as she scanned some things that were on the bulletin board of the police. He wondered what she was looking for. After a few more moments, Officer Kurosawa arrived. Hamuko didn't hesitate to walk up to him and start chattering.

After listening to her for a few minutes (the boy seriously wondered how he did that with a straight face), he nodded. "So, you want to find a weapon for your brother that he can easily wield with speed and is able to use from a mid-range, am I correct?"

The twins nodded.

"Alright, I might have something that could interest you." The man turned around and walked away for a few minutes before returning with a small wooden box. "It may be a little old-fashioned, though. I'm not sure if it fits your taste."

The students curiously looked as the adult opened the box. While both of them started out as excited and curious, their reaction wildly differed. Minato looked at the weapon in front of him, then at Kurosawa, who nodded, then back at his twin, whose eyes were now sparkling.

He looked back up at the police officer. "You're kidding me, right?"

As it turned out, he wasn't. The bluenette now stood in the secret backyard Saoto showed him once when he and the boy had cleaned the shrine and tried his best to aim at the make-shift target they made. Once he threw his projectile, he heard a loud snort coming at him from the side.

"Is that all you've got? Come on! Give it some effort!" He looked at Hamuko, who had somehow gotten her hands on a whistle and observed his training. She wasn't really much of a help, but at least she motivated him to work harder.

He sighed and gave her a helpless look. "I'm sorry, Aneki, but I never used this Kunais before!" he whined.

Her eyes narrowed. "So? You never used any kind of weapon before we got here and you were able to master them perfectly! So, get back to your training!"

The younger twin sighed again and aimed at the target again. This time, he was almost able to hit the center spot on. Maybe his twin was right. Maybe he could master it until he was fully healed. They continued this little game with the girl shouting at him and the boy giving his best for a little while longer until they finally decided to take a break. They sat down on the bench at the playground by the shrine, weapons securely hidden in their school bags. They just ate their little snacks they got before going there (melon bread for Minato and fried Soba bread for Hamuko) until the younger spoke up again.

"Erm, Aneki? Not that I think that you're wrong or anything, but why did you decide on throwing knives? We could have just gotten me a gun or something."

The red-head took a little sip from her strawberry milk before wagging her finger at her sibling. "Are you a moron or are you just acting like one? If you had a gun, you could mistake it with your Evoker and would shoot yourself in the head. Would you like that? I don't think so."

The bluenette felt like smacking himself against the forehead. Of course, how could he be so stupid?

"Plus."

He turned his attention back to his sister.

"The recoil would have been too much to handle for you. Your strength are your legs, so having a gun would be pointless."

He nodded in understanding, seeing her point. They were silent again for a few moments before, this time, the girl broke the ice again.

"Back when we heard the summer classes, you reacted oddly violent about it. I expected you to be mad about it, but not to outright protest against it. Especially against Kirijou-Senpai."

The taller of the twins sheepishly scratched the back of his head and blushed. "Yeah, that was a little out of character of me, right? Even I was surprised!" Silence again and he blushed even more before looking down into his lap. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

Again, nothing for a while.

Starting to get nervous, the boy looked over to his sister. He was surprised to find her smiling.

"Well, you don't need to stop. I think you should state your opinion more often." She rose from her seat, got her bag, and moved over to the stairs. "We should get going. The sun's already setting."

Her brother just sat there for a few moments, too stunned to do anything. But once he regained his composure, he gave her a big smile and followed her.

Maybe, he thought.

Maybe everything would be alright, after all.


	31. Chapter 31: Socializing and new Style

Alright! Here it is! The new chapter for the story! How long has it been since I last updated? Two weeks? I at least get a bit faster on this now. Well, I hope you enjoy this one because I froze death because of it! No seriously, it's figgin cold over here because autumn just started. I like the cold but not if I'm sitting n a T-shirt beside and open window.

**Alright, finally the beta-ed version! Hope you enjoy!**

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"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but... it's just..."

Minato nodded as he looked the taller boy straight in the eye. Classes for that day had just ended and Akihiko had asked if they could walk home together. Minato had agreed, thinking it was always fun to hang out with the older boy, but the latter had been oddly quiet until he spoke up. Eagerly waiting for the other, the bluenette rolled on his feet, his eyes filled with curiosity.

The silverette awkwardly scratched the back of his head before he finished his sentence. "I-Is it true that you're dating Yamagishi?" A few moments of silence followed and the Senior started to get a little nervous. He was about to say something when the Junior's expression contorted into a grimace.

"Why should I? It's not like I want to die from food poisoning or something."

Although he was a little surprised about the choice of words, the Senpai still nodded in understanding. "I see..." he mumbled and stayed silent for a while. When he noticed the curious look of the younger boy, he just shook his head in dismiss. "Oh, no, it's just a rumor I've heard in school. Sorry."

Minato gave him a little smile in response. "Just don't get the wrong idea about it, Senpai." The boy himself wasn't really sure why he said that, but it just felt right to do so.

The boxer didn't seem to get it either but just nodded as if he did. "A-Alright. Anyway, I'm sorry." He looked at the floor and then down into those grey-blue eyes. "Not only did I listen to a rumor, but then I just confronted you about it... That was just rude of me." The next moment, he was giving the Summoner a sheepish grin. "Next time I hear someone say that, I will tell them the truth."

Minato smiled again. "Please do. I've dealt with rumors before and I don't want to repeat it."

The older boy smiled and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know how you feel. Hey, wanna grab something to eat on the way back?" He looked up and noticed the enormous building they started to call home. "Oh..." He thought for a moment before turning back to the shorter male. "So... do you want something to eat?"

The latter gave him a small smile before nodding. "Sure, how about something spicy? I heard Wild Duck has a new burger with chili on it!"

"You like spicy food?"

"You seem to misunderstand, Senpai. I like every cookable food. But I LOVE spicy things."

While the other was still a little surprised, he smiled and followed the boy down the road. The younger boy took a quick glance and noticed how relaxed Akihiko was in comparison to before. Had he been that worried about him? A warm feeling he couldn't quite place spread inside his body.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Emperor Arcana!"**_

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8/14/2009 Daytime - Paulownia Mall **In front of Game Panic**

"So, what have you been up to lately?"

Minato looked up to Tatsuya as they walked over to the arcade. The younger boy just shrugged. "The usual. Summer school and hanging out with friends. Why do you ask?"

It was the red-head's turn to shrug. "Dunno, you just kinda looked more happy than usual."

The shorter boy remembered the last few days and started to smile but kept his thought to himself. They were almost at the arcade when they heard loud footsteps behind them. At first, they thought nothing of it but when there was a light tap on the older boy's shoulder, they finally turned around to see an as serious as ever looking Kurosawa.

The man nodded at both of them. "Arisato, Suou."

The teens looked at each other for a moment but before they could ask how the other knew the officer, the latter spoke up again.

"I don't want to interrupt you in whatever you were doing, but I have an important question to ask." He turned to the older of the two. "Do you know where your brother is right now? I have some very important things to discuss with him on the case we are currently handling."

The corners of Tatsuya's lips twitched a little but the bluenette doubted anyone besides him noticed it. "I don't know where he is," he curtly replied.

Again, the adult nodded. "That's too bad. I think I will just have to wait at the station for him." The man thought for a moment again before speaking up again. "If you see him before I do, please tell him to meet me there."

The teens nodded and were about to turn around when he spoke again.

"Oh, and one more thing." The two of them looked at him as an indication to continue. "Your brother is a very honorable man, Suou. It was a tragedy when your father had to resign from duty due to the circumstances, but your brother is filling his shoes very nicely. I hope one day you will be able to be as successful as he is."

Another almost unnoticeable twitch but Minato couldn't be fooled. The taller boy turned around again and gave the man a nod. "I hope so, too." It was obviously a lie but the officer bought it anyway and left.

The Persona-user wasn't sure what to do and just stood there beside the older boy. After a little while, the latter looked up at him and nodded to the fountains not far from them. Without another word, they walked over to them and sat down on a bench. Neither said anything but after several minutes of silence, the high-schooler decided to do something about the heavy air that hung around them.

"Tatsuya-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to it." The bluenette immediately shut up and watched as the other pulled out a lighter from his pocket and started to open it and close it again. "It's just... I always hear how great Aniki is. How he is perfect and I'm not. It's like that at home, too. 'Tatsuya, why are your grades so bad?' 'Why can't you be like your brother?' It just gets kind of frustrating after a while, you know?" Tatsuya turned to look at the younger boy and shook his head, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Sorry, I don't want to bother you with my own problems. I know you're pretty much having the same problem." He got up from his seat and offered a hand to the Summoner. "So, how about we finally get to beating those monsters up like we originally planned?"

After a moment of hesitation, Minato took his hand and nodded. He could feel the trust between them growing again.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Tower Arcana!"**_

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"Amada-kun?" The brown-haired boy looked up at the older male who was slightly leaning over his shoulder. The bluenette tilted his head to the side. "What are you drinking?"

The child looked down at the cup in his hand and then looked back up. "Black Coffee."

The older boy's face turned into a grimace. "Seriously? You can actually drink that stuff?"

Ken proudly nodded and showed Minato his cup again. "Yep. See, it's completely black. I can drink without sugar, just like an adult." The Junior nodded. "Say, Arisato-san, how do you drink your coffee?"

The older boy thought for a moment. A long pause resulted before the Summoner came to a conclusion. He hit his fist into his hand in understanding. "Hot sauce!"

Every person in the room turned around to him, a look of horror on their faces. Even Koromaru looked scared.

"Of course! Coffee doesn't taste good by itself, so you have to add something that you like! Since I like spicy food, I should put hot sauce into it! It makes perfect sense!" He started to walk to the kitchen but before he could even take a third step, Junpei, Akihiko, and Hamuko were all holding him back. Fuuka was standing beside them, not really sure if she should help them or simply try to talk the boy down.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Hot sauce? Are you nuts?" his classmate shouted as the three of them pulled the short Junior back into the main area.

The latter just tilted his head in question. "Why? Is it that unusual?"

Akihiko slapped his hand against his forehead. "Unusual doesn't even start to describe it! I knew you weren't really right in the head, since all of us are a little weird, but really, hot sauce is a little over the top, don't you think?"

Aigis, who had just observed the whole thing until then, spoke up. "I do not comprehend. Why is it inappropriate if Minato-san adds sauce into his drink?"

Yukari looked around the group a little before answering the robot. "Well, normally, you would try to make something bitter sweet to make it more pleasant. But Minato-kun tries to make it spicy, which is not very common."

At first, there was no reaction from her but then the android gave a small nod in understanding. All eyes turned back to the blue-haired boy now sitting on the couch, pouting. Hamuko stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. A staring match began, neither of the twins wanting to lose. An awkward silence lay over the team as a storm seemed to emerge between them. After a few minutes, the boy huffed, looked away, and got his jacket.

"Fine, I won't do it. Man, you guys are so boring!" He started to walk over to the entrance of the dorm.

Akihiko didn't look convinced. "Where are you going?" he asked as the boy opened the door.

"Just taking a little walk." The bluenette didn't wait for their response and just closed the door. A sigh escaped his lips and the boy started to walk away from the building. Soon after that, he arrived at the Paulownia Mall and headed to the grocery store. There were still some things he had to buy before he could be part of the team again. He was about to enter when he felt a light tap on his shoulder, making him turn around. He tilted his head to the side as he saw the person standing behind him. "Aragaki? What do you want?"

The former member of SEES awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Could we talk for a bit? In private, I mean."

There was a beat of silence before the shorter boy nodded.

The brunette hesitated for a moment. "W-Wait, are you sure? Is it alright to just agree?"

The boy shrugged.

With a little sigh from the older boy, the two students walked behind one of the many buildings. They stopped and the taller boy waited for a few seconds before speaking again. "All I want to say is... I'm sorry." He didn't wait for an answer and just kept talking. "I said it was not your business, although I knew you were worried about me. I also saw how stupid I was for doing something like that, so I stopped taking them. I just want to say, I'm sorry." He turned around to the younger boy and was surprised to see him pretty disinterested.

It was the Summoner's turn to scratch his head. "You were still thinking about that? I almost forgot about it until you mentioned it." Shinjiro was about to start shouting when Minato chuckled. "Just kidding, but to be honest, I was never really angry at you."

The Hierophant's eyes widened. "You weren't?"

Another shrug from the other. "Nah, I was pretty mad that you were doing this to yourself, but I was not angry. Though I'm glad you acknowledged your mistake."

The older boy didn't believe his ears. "So, I've been beating myself up for nothing all this time?"

"Pretty much." Before the older boy could shout even more, Minato extended his hand, a bright smile on his face. "But now that we are even, let's start over again! Hello, I'm Minato Arisato! Nice to meet you, Aragaki-senpai!"

Shinjiro hesitated for a moment before smiling himself and took his hand. "Shinji is absolutely fine."

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8/15/2009 Dark Hour – Tartarus **Staircase**

"Seriously, you already beat one of the Guardians without me?" Minato asked as he followed the team up to the next floor. Koromaru was happily running beside him and Aigis refused to leave his back unguarded. While he didn't think it was necessary, the robot was stubborn and it was hard to negotiate with someone who can't really talk to you.

Junpei turned around to his classmate and grinned. "Well, it's not like we really need your little fairies to fight."

The shorter boy puffed his cheeks, just like Hua Po did on his shoulder. "Don't mock them, Junpei. Fairies can do some nasty stuff to you while you're asleep." The demon gave a nod, which only made the Magician laugh. The bluenette just sighed and shook his head. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you. It's not my fault if you wake up with your whole face full with drawings."

That did make the taller boy stumble for a second, which made the boy snicker a little. The rest of the team just ignored their bickering and kept on walking, not letting their mind sway from their goal. Fuuka had scanned ahead again for them and said that an especially strong Shadow was waiting for them. While they had no doubt they were able to beat it, it was always best to keep their guard up. They finally reached the next floor and immediately raised their weapons.

Hamuko turned around to her brother and gave him a pointed look. "Remember our training. Keep your guard up and try to make as much distance between you and the enemy. And don't rush your spells. You may want to hurry but if you don't think about your moves, you might as well have stayed downstairs."

Her twin nodded and the team turned the corner, finally seeing their next foe. It was a variation of the Dancers, a woman and man without heads dancing together with a gigantic heart floating above them. This time, they wore a white tux and dress with pink decorations all over it. It wasted no time to attack them with a hard blow of wind. The group quickly scattered around the overly large room and reached for their Evokers. Minato moved away from them all and readied his knives. He hoped their training had helped somehow. After a short moment to aim, he threw them, hitting it square in the face. Before the monster could make a comeback, it was hit with an arrow by Yukari. There was a light static in their heads before they heard a soft voice.

"_Sorry for the wait!" _Fuuka apologized.

The Summoner rolled his eyes. If she was so sorry, why did she waste more time apologizing instead of just giving them the information they wanted?

"_Alright, you can use magic on it, but it won't be very effective and it completely blocks Wind elements! I propose to use physical attacks only!"_

Well, that was more like it. SEES charged at the enemy except for Aigis, Junpei, and Akihiko, who were summoning their Personae. The male Fool was about to do the same when a Garu spell hit him hard and threw him against the wall. Dizziness flooded is brain which he tried his best to shake off. When he could see clearly again, the Shadow was raising its sword for another spell again. With not enough time to run away, the boy simply tried to guard himself with his arms in front of his face.

"Titania!"

A bright blue light came from his belt when a flash of green was slowly materializing. Another blow of wind erupted in front of him. The two gales clashed until they finally neutralized each other. The boy sighed in relief and extended his hand for the Queen of Fairies to stand on. "Whew, thanks a bunch."

She smiled at him and flew away again. Minato was about to summon Orpheus when another blast of wind came up to him which Titania neutralized again.

"Is it just me or is that thing targeting me?" he shouted from the top of his lungs as he dodged another attack.

The others, while confused, did not stop their assaults on the foe, trying their best to weaken it enough for Minato to catch a break. After a while, it did cease its attacks but then it raised its sword again and did a little pirouette. A pink mist started to sink onto the team and the Summoner used his shirt to filter the air a little. The air was impossible to see through and when it finally cleared, the boy had a feeling something was wrong. Everybody was slumped over and their eyes were glazed over. When Mitsuru swirled around to him and tried to stab him, it only confirmed his suspicion.

"_They were all charmed!" _Fuuka screamed through their mind link.

"Oh, really, Fuuka? I wouldn't have guessed!" he snapped back at her as Palladion tried to tackle him to the ground.

The girl just ignored his snarky comment. "_Do you have any Dis-Charm gems on you?"_

The boy reached into his pocket and searched for the item. He was sure he had one, since he had just gone shopping-

_Oh__,__ shit, _he thought as he remembered what had happened in the city a few hours ago.

When he met up Shinji, he totally forgot to buy items. Now he had a team full of people who were trying to kill him. The worst of it all was that three of them were healers, so it wouldn't take long before they had to attack it all over again.

"_Then do you have any demons who can use Charmdi?" _Fuuka asked as her panic grew.

Minato dodged a well-aimed punch from Akihiko and jumped over Koromaru's knife as he shook his head. "I don't think any of the ones I have with me right now can!"

He was at a serious disadvantage right now. Except for Yukari and Koromaru, everybody was physically stronger than him and then the archer had her magic and the dog had his speed. He had to find a way to get out of this or at least snap his fiends out of the spell. Something, **anything. **He felt a light buzz at his hip and looked down to see his summoning cards were glowing. After a moment of thought, he nodded and took a handful of them out.

_They may have strength and speed, _the boy thought as he threw the cards in front of his face, _but I have the power of numbers._

With a swift wave of his hand, he crushed them in one blow. A strong wind engulfed him, blue mist surrounding the whole area. When it lifted, five new figures were present. One of them was a beautiful young girl with her hair in a classical Japanese style and in a white and green kimono. Another woman was a knight with her head under her arm and a black scythe in her hand. The third had the face of a girl in her late teens and wore a black body suit but her legs and arms were red, hairy, and had no feet or hands, much resembling a spider's. Another one of the figures was a human-sized hamster-like being with a shovel in its hands. Its gigantic black eyes scanned the area, and it happily jumped up and down, making the earth underneath it tremor. The last one looked like some kind of snowman with a hat but it was completely black and his clothes were in a dark violet.

Minato observed them for a moment before nodding. "Alright! Dullahan! Black Frost!" The knight and the snowman turned their heads –or upper body parts– to him. "You attack the Shadow! Keep it busy and neutralize any healing it gets!" They nodded –or whatever you do if you don't have a head– and headed for their enemy.

The boy turned to the spider woman. "Arachne. You use your status effect-attacks. Try to weaken it." The woman nodded, shot a web, and swung over to the fighting demons. "Gnome, you use your earth attacks and try to make the rest of the team stumble. It's the best way to keep them from attacking without hurting them."

The hamster-thing nodded and rammed its shovel into the ground, making it shake even more and successfully sweeping Yukari and Junpei off their feet. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

He turned to the little fairies on his shoulders. "Titania, you keep on neutralizing its attacks. Hua Po, you heal us." They both nodded and flew away. He turned to the last demon, the girl in the Kimono. "Ame no Uzume. You use your seduction spells. Maybe a reverse could defuse the spell."

She nodded and started to dance. Minato wasn't sure how he felt when she started to take of parts of her clothes, but he sure as hell didn't like it. Minato was pulled out of his thoughts when there was a blade missed his head by only a few millimeters. The boy jumped back and faced his sister, whose naturally brown-red eyes had now taken a slight pink tint. The boy raised his knife and blocked the next slash. He hated to admit it, but Hamuko was much stronger than him. While he only had karate lessons for a few years, she kept on doing them together with athletics and kickboxing. It came with no surprise that she had more control over her body. But her twin had his speed and was two-handed, so he could block her attack while hitting her with his other hand. A pink mist settled over the room again but when it lifted, nothing changed this time. The boy clicked his tongue and looked over to the Shadow that was still with his demons. Jack Frost, Gnome, and Ame no Uzume had already returned and now finally Dullahan had fallen and returned to his demon stack.

"_You're almost there! Only a little more and it's over!"_

He quickly scanned the area to see that his teammates were at least a little dazed by Ame no Uzume's spell. He nodded over to his demons, who responded with a nod of their own. Arachne shot webs at his twin, making her feet stick to the ground. Minato made a mad dash toward the Shadow, all the while throwing his knives with precision he had never had during training. Junpei ran up to his side but was quickly stopped by Hua Po, who threw a little flame at him. While not enough to actually hurt him, it did throw him back a little, making it easy for the bluenette to get closer to the enemy. When Akihiko and Mitsuru tried to stop him up front, he simply leapfrogged over them. After a few more steps, he was already at his goal, so he raised his knife and slashed the monster right through the stomach. It immediately dissolved into black mist, taking the Charm spell with it.

"_You did it, Minato-kun! Great job!"_

Minato barely heard the footsteps of his friends as he fell to his knees in exhaustion. The adrenaline finally left his bloodstream, leaving him totally drained. He felt a light tap on his shoulder and looked up to see Yukari's concerned face.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The boy nodded and got up to his feet again. "Yeah, just a little tired, that's all."

Akihiko gave him a light punch on the shoulder and grinned. "That was amazing! I thought you told us that you weren't really athletic."

The boy was about to answer but his sister beat him to the punch. "It's because I taught him the last few days. He may be pretty fast but his inability to use it properly was too sad to watch."

Junpei, Yukari, Koromaru, and Aigis walked up to them. Minato titled his head to the side when he noticed that Junpei was rubbing his neck.

As if reading his mind, the baseball-player shrugged. "Well, when your little fairy threw fire at me, I was pushed back and fell onto Aigis, who has a pretty thick head, by the way."

Hua Po and Titania flew up to his face, both of them making smug faces. "He told you fairies can kick ass." They gave each other a high five and then turned back into cards, together with Arachne.

The boy felt another wave of nausea wash over him and stumbled into his sister, who quickly caught him. "Ugh, sorry. I just didn't expect summoning more than one at once would tire me that much."

The Magician shook his head and swung the shorter Junior's arm over his shoulder. "Man, you can be a real pain sometimes."

The other just smiled at that. They quickly returned to the dorm shortly after that and Minato was happy he was finally of help for the team.

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So, it's done! Sorry about the stupid ending, my hands are almost frozen because I wrote so much. Anyway, I hope you like the fighting scene. I put my blood and sweat into it!

**Review or new neighbors will move in above you and they will make their music soo loud you can't concentrate anymore!**

Your Shadow!


	32. Chapter 32: Cookies and Katsuya

You know what I love the most about having choosing Demons instead of Personae? I can take every demon I like and don't have to limit myself to those in the game! In the last chapter, most of them were taken from the Megaten games with slight variation on the appearance, so you can look them up on the Wiki page. Except for Gnome, since I took him from the tales of games.

Anyway, enjoy this slightly shorter chapter! I hope you still like it!

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8/16/2009 Noon – Dormitory **Main Lobby**

"Summer festival?" Minato asked as he took another sip of his iced tea. Yukari nodded, a big blush on her face.

"Yep, there's one at the temple tonight! I already have a Yukata prepared, so let's go together!" The bluenette thought for a moment before answering.

"Alright." The brunette was about to cry of joy until the other continued. "I'll ask the boys, you ask the girls. Maybe I can get a few of my other friends to come, too." It took a few seconds for the archer to register what he was suggesting. Even then, it was hard for her to respond.

"...Huh?" was everything she could get out. The boy nodded and raised from his seat on the couch.

"Well, yeah, that's what you meant, right? The whole dorm going to the summer festival." He smiled and her and walked away. "I think Aigis and Kirijou-Senpai wanted to go anyway, so we can count both of them in. I'll see what I can do about Akihiko-Senpai, Junpei and Ken." He didn't see the disappointment in the girl's eyes when he left but that was of little concern for him. Luckily when he finally arrived at the next floor, the other males were gathered around the table in the center. Akihiko noticed him first and waved with his right hand, holding a bottle in his left. It was one of those disgusting protein drinks again and the Junior had to wonder how the older could drink that kind of stuff. He ignored it and waved back.

"Hey, there." The other boys turned to greet him as well and Koromaru ran up to him, happily wagging his tail. Junpei had a sly grin on his lips.

"Hey, you look happy. Did something good happen between you and Yuka-tan?" He suggestively wagged his eyebrow. Minato simply glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" With a dramatic sigh, the taller turns away.

"Whatever. You are too much of a child to understand it, Minato." The younger was about to start shouting when Ken intervened.

"Um, did you come for something, Senpai?" The Summoner immediately forgot about his anger and perked up.

"Oh, right! Yukari asked if wanted to all go to the festival at the shrine tonight!" Their Senpai raised his a silver eyebrow.

"You mean the whole dorm?" The boy nodded. "Fine with me. How about you guys?" Koro yipped in agreement and Ken just nodded although it was clear he was extremely excited about the event. Junpei jumped to his feet and cheered.

"Yes! I can see the girls in Yukatas! This will be a blast! I mean, Fuuka is so cute and even if she's snappy all the time, Yuka-tan's got a nice bod, too! And then there are Hamu-chi and Aigis with their awesome curves! Woooh! I'm all pumped up!" The Fool knelt down to scratch the dog behind the ears.

"You do know that Aigis is a robot, right?"

"Who cares! She's cute!" He sighed, stood up and walked down the hall.

"Whatever, I'll go ask if my other friends want to come. See you later." he waited for no response and pulled out his cell phone. The boy smiled and scanned his phone list and stopped at the S mark.

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To be honest, he was a little disappointed that Tatsuya and the others couldn't come since they were still in Tokyo but there was no sense to dwell on it. It was still nice to be out with his teammates and just have fun. The girls all wore Yukatas as expected and Akihiko had to do his best to keep Junpei from drooling all over them. After they ate some festival food (Akihiko noted that the bluenette suddenly ate almost his own weight in sweets), they decided to play some games and stopped at a small game stand where you could fish with small paper nets. Minato looked off to the side and noticed they were less people than before.

"Hey, where are Ken and Koromaru?" he asked. The others just looked at him and shrugged.

"No idea. Why, should we be worried?" He tried his best to not let his annoyance show.

"The fireworks are starting soon. I'm gonna go search them." His team wished him luck and let him leave. He wasn't sure how they could not be worried about a little boy who had just been lost in a big crowd. Alright, he had a faithful dog with him, but it still didn't make him feel any better. After a little of running around, he heard a loud yip coming from the side. He turned around to see the boy he was searching for standing next to a guy with long brown hair and a beanie. The bluenette was about to walk over to them but then decided against it and just walked away. He aimlessly wandered through the shrine, admiring the colourful lights and enjoying the delicious smells. After some time, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and turned around to meet two startling grey eyes.

"Hey, I've been searching for you." Minato resisted his urge to point out how obvious that was. "Have you found Amada yet?" The boy thought back to the moment he had last seen the brunette but just smiled.

"Don't worry. He's in good care." The older didn't look convinced at first but after some time he nodded. There was an awkward beat of silence between them before the Junior gently tugged the boxers sleeve and pointed at the Takoyaki stand. "Wanna have some? My treat." The silverette just raised an eyebrow.

"Again? Just how much can fit into that stomach of yours?" When he just received a shrug as an answer, he sighed and shook his head. "And when we first met I thought you couldn't eat much. How wrong I have been." The younger just dragged him over and ordered their food. The saleswoman eyed them all the while and when she gave them their octopus balls, a big grin was plastered on her face.

"Here you are! I hope you have fun on your date!" It took them a few seconds to fully comprehend her words but when they did, they were stunned before shouting in the same voice:

"We're not a couple!" The woman just chuckled and waved them away. The teens just stared at her for a moment before moving out of the way for the other customers. Silence hit them again as they just ate their treats. Once they were done, they had no excuse not to talk to each other anymore. Minato uncomfortably looked off to the side and so did Akihiko. After some time, the boxer scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat.

"Sorry about that."

"What are you apologizing for? It wasn't your fault, Senpai." The older shook his head as if to get rid of something.

"It's not that, just..." He shook it again and smiled. "Nevermind. Hey, wanna watch the fireworks together? They are about to start." Although he wasn't sure it was wise to ignore the topis, the Summoner gave him an enthusiastic nod and walked with him to the rest of the mob. Soon, loud explosions could be heard. The Fool could see a few colourful sparks in the sky but there were so many people there, it was hard for someone as short as him to see properly. After a few moments of observing his distress, his companion sighed and knelt down, offering his back to the other. "Come on, get up." The boy just looked confused for a moment before a light pink spread over his cheeks.

"Wait, you want to give me a piggy back ride? Why?"

"You can't see anything, can you? Now get on or else it will be over and neither of us will have seen anything." The younger harrumphed but got on nonetheless.

"You treat me like a little kid, Senpai."

"But it' not too bad, is it?" Minato started to pout again and just looked up. Bright flames in all the colours of the rainbow were dancing across the sky, illuminating the whole night. The teen allowed his gaze to stray for a moment to notice a familiar brunette on the shoulders of another more grumpy one. He smiled. As far as he knew, Shinji didn't have many friends and he hoped Ken would change that a little, even if their ages were a little far apart.

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"Fuuka-san, is something wrong?" The girl snapped out of her stupor and looked at her fellow member of the cooking club. Although they had summer break right now, they decided to keep on cooking in the dorm kitchen. Blue eyebrows were knitted in worry and the boy leaned back a little. "Look, if it's about me being rude last time we were in Tartarus, I'm sorry. I just tend to get easily irritated when I'm in a life and death situation." Fuuka just shook her head and looked down on her hands again.

"No, it's just that..." She swallowed and tried again. "Every time, I just mess up. I try my best at first, but halfway through I always think that it will be bad anyway, so I just give up..." Minato desperately wanted to comfort her somehow but he felt as if it was best just to listen to her for now. "It's always like this. I keep thinking that everything will be bad and I can't make any positive thoughts. If only there was something I was actually good at..." The taller thought for a moment before answering.

"I think you are pretty good with machines. I mean, you arranged all the stuff for Aigis and take care of her if something's wrong, right?" The greenette looked up to him, surprised.

"You know about that? But it's more like a hobby and not something I could actually be proud of..." She fiddled with the rim of her light blue summer-dress and blushed. "When I was younger, my father would always work on complicated music equipment and repair them. Like old headphones or broken amplifiers. I always loved watching him when he was doing this." She giggled and blushed some more. "That's probably why I'm so good with machines now., though I doubt that I would be able to repay everyone's kindness with it. After all, we have the Kirijou group for the technology problems." She looked up at the boy with a confident smile on her lips. "I want to find something only I can do so they can rely on me!" Minato nodded and smiled back.

"Let's find it together, Fuuka-san!" Her smile grew even wider. The two of them just stood in the kitchen for a while before they remembered why they were there in the first place. They looked at the food they had in the kitchen at the moment and the greenette nodded.

"Alright, how about we make cookies for everyone? It might not be he right season, but you can always eat them, right?" The Summoner took his time measuring the ingredients and mixing them but it still only took him an hour to finish. He looked down at the freshly baked sugar cookies and tasted a piece. He was never really the best at baking but they came out rather good. He turned around to see his friend still struggling with the flour. With a small sigh he proposed to help her which she only after several minutes of asking accepted. He was a little disappointed that the girl didn't even know the basics of cooking but he was able to defend the dough from turning into something strange. After they finally baked them, Fuuka tried her own cookies and her eyes widened.

"They taste good! They actually came out right! Something I cooked actually tastes good!" She was almost jumping from happiness when she turned her bright smile to the other Junior. "Thank you so much, Minato-kun! I wouldn't have been able to finish this if you weren't there!"

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Priestess Arcana!"**_

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8/19/2009 Wednesday – Afternoon **Paulownian Mall**

Tatsuya bit into the banana cupcake and grimaced. Luckily, it wasn't overly sweet and the taste of the banana made it somewhat softer, but it was still not really his thing. He looked over to Minato who was still watching, a small smile on his face.

"Still not a big fan of sugar, huh?" The red-head snored and looked at the bakery in his hand.

"Well, if your sibling sends you sweets every week, you would get sick of it, too." The younger chuckled and ate his own cake.

"True enough." The two boys just sat there for a few minutes, eating their sweets. Although the older didn't really like it that much, he still ate it to not look rude. The bluenette smiled a little as he took another bite. It was good like this. Not thinking about Tartarus or Shadows, just hanging out with an old friend and talking about nonsense. Tatsuya was happy, too, although he was not as open about it. When they were finished, they walked over to the trashcan and disposed of the wrapping. Just in that moment, someone came up to them from behind.

"Tatsuya." The young man swirled around to meet his brother's eyes. The Junior took some time having a good look of the now 28-year-old man. Katsuya hasn't really changed from the last time they saw each other. His hair was still in the neat cut with those odd sideburns and he still wore those red-tinted sunglasses. He wore another of his suits although he didn't need to and the only difference from back then were the creases on his forehead.

"Aniki, what are you doing here?" The college student spat out and crossed his arms over his chest. He was obviously not pleased to see the older Suou. The other just straightened his glasses and took a look at the blue-haired boy beside his brother and nodded.

"I was wondering what you were doing out all day, but now I see why." He walked over to the youngest and offered his hand. "Minato Arisato-kun, was it not? I see that you have grown." The Summoner hesitantly took it with a wry smile on his face.

"I'm surprised you remember me."

"You are the only friend Tatsuya had at the time you lived in Sumaru. Of course I take taps on who my brother hangs out with." He looked over to the person in question and raised an eyebrow. "Well, except that former track star who turned into a delinquent." The younger red-head groaned and turned away.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not ashamed of my life as a delinquent in high school? And Anna wasn't a bad person just because we skipped classes together."

"I never said such a thing." He turned back to the Junior student and smiled a little. "I'm glad you are here. I'm certain Tatsuya would be bored to death in this city otherwise. Please take good care of him." The younger sibling harrumphed and started to pout at that. "If you'll excuse me, Officer Kurosawa called me to the station. Have a nice day." After a few moments he turned to his brother on last time before leaving. "Oh, and please don't eat too much before coming back tonight. I will make crab for dinner." Then he walked off to the police station. The two teens just stood there for a while before the older clapped his hands and headed to the station.

"Alright, let's eat at Wild Duck."

"But Katsuya-san just said that you shouldn't eat too much tonight because you have crab for dinner. Isn't that your favourite food?"

"So? Do I need a reason to try to piss my older sibling off?" Minato was not sure if he should answer that question but then just settled on going with his friend.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Tower Arcana!"**_

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Minato was quite happy to find out that Saoto had returned early from his family in Tokyo but once he saw the younger's sad face, his mood quickly changed. He sat down on the bank beside the boy with Koromaru at his feet and laid a hand on a small shoulder.

"Hey, is something wrong?" _Great question, Minato. Would he sit here, close to tears, if everything was fine?,_ he scolded himself as soon as he asked but the shorter didn't seem to mind.

"Define wrong," he responded but quickly shook his head with a small smile on his face. "Sorry, it's alright, I'm just a little... shaken."

"Did something happen at your family's place?" _Of course, where else, you moron!, _the little voice in his head shouted again. Saoto just smiled some more and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"They told me I'm not really related to them." Before the bluenette could say anything about it, the younger just kept on speaking. "I should have seen it coming. I mean, I don't look anything like them and even my eye-colour has no resemblance to theirs. It was so obvious yet I was too naïve to see it." The older bit his awkwardly bit his lip before saying something.

"So, you're not really a member of the clan?" It was not really the best question but it was his attempt to change the topic. Maybe if he could turn them away from the fact that the boy had lived a lie all his life, it would lift the mood a little. The brunette frowned and pinched the bright of his nose.

"I... think so. I at least have the same summoning powers as them, but I don't think Kouji and the rest of them are part of it. They just adopted me when I was three and then let the clan take care of my "studies". I'm not even sure I'm related to Kage anymore. I just know she was like a sister to me." The were silent for a while as Minato took the younger's hand and squeezed it. He desperately wanted to hug the smaller but he knew he was not really a big fan of that much physical contact.

"Do you know why they told you now?" The other shook his head.

"Not really. They only said it was time I know. I think Naoya was the one to suggest it." His eyes narrowed and he hung his head again. "They also suggested to send me to a private school in America after I finished my last year in middle school." He turned to the older and had an almost pleading look on his face. "Don't tell Souji any of this." The Persona-user's eyes widened.

"Why not?" The younger Summoner looked away and tightened his fists at his sides.

"You have a Social Link with him, don't you?" The older was too stunned to say anything at that. "I will tell him when the time comes, but for now, let's just keep it a secret, alright?" He raised from his seat and patted Koromaru who was whimpering and licked his hand. "It's alright, little guy. It will be alright." He turned back to the upperclassman and smiled. "Hey, wanna go eat something? I'm starving." Minato wasn't sure if it was alright that Saoto just pushed the issue aside, but they boy had to know what he was doing and just nodded in response.

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Ugh, I actually wanted to write more but then I got this gigantic headache, so I have to stop here. See you next time.

Your Shadow.


	33. Chapter 33: Ken and first signs

Ugh, I'm so sorry that the update is so late. There have been so many things going on in my life lately, I didn't get to write. So, this chapter is a little more plot-relevant than the last one and the first moment Minato notices his own feelings. I hope you like it!

**Unbeta-ed again!**

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Minato wasn't sure why, but Akihiko kept staring at the sight as if it was his worst enemy. The bluenette waited for a few more minutes before sighing, turning the attention of the other back to him.

"Is something wrong, Senpai? You've been just standing there for quite a while now." The older was stunned before shaking his head and turning his face back to the entrance.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just... I just heard this place is kinda popular and..." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Are guys even allowed in there?" The boy raised an eyebrow and gave the older just and disbelieving look. When he saw he was serious, the Summoner shook his head.

"**That's **what you've been wondering about? Aneki and the others take me here all the time when I get dragged along for their day-outs. Of course it's alright." The upperclassman still didn't seem convinced so the younger just grabbed his arm and pulled him into the sweets store. After they had finally gotten to eat a little cake, they were already leaving again. The Seniors face was pulled into a grimace.

"That was... rather sweet..." he mumbled under his breath. The Junior raised an eyebrow and leaned over to him.

"You didn't like it?" The silverette shook his head again and started to blush.

"I-It's not like I hate eating sweets, it's just that I don't eat them that often, so I was surprised how sugary it was." That made... surprisingly much sense in the boys head, so he nodded in understanding. "A-and I heard you praising this place to Junpei once, so I thought we might go here together..." Now it was his turn to blush. The boy looked off to the side and stuck his hands into his pockets. It felt kind of odd that the other wanted to do something he wanted, but it left him feeling warm and fuzzy inside. "But still, it was like having a lump of pure sugar in my mouth..." When the Summoner looked up again, the blush on the other's face was gone and he looked just a little distressed. "Takeba gives me candy now and then, all the while saying that she would be screwed if she ate anymore. Why does she buy them if she just dumps most of them on me anyway?" Minato knew what he talked about. Yukari does that with him sometimes and it was pretty annoying. "Anyway, wanna grab something real to eat? We still have some time before curfew." He was about to answer when he was pushed out of the way and almost landed flat on his face. After a little tripping, he regained his balance and looked over his shoulder to see the girls from a few weeks ago invading Akihiko's personal bubble again.

"Oh, Senpai! I'm so jazzed about to run into you here again!" The heavily-made-up girl said with her high-pitched voice. The bluenette really wondered if it was healthy to wear that much. Her companion glared at him for a while before turning to her object of interest. _Don't worry, _he told himself in his head. _They just want to get attention from Akihiko-Senpai. If you ignore them, they won't bother you._

"Say, Senpai, why are you here with Junpei's boyfriend?" That was the moment he threw every piece of his logical self out of the window. He turned back to them and just stood there, just stunned. He knew there were rumors about him and Fuuka going around, but with Junpei? That was just plain ridiculous. The girl just flipped her hair and smirked. "Like, stop stealing all the single guys if you already have one back home!" That made him snap.

"First of all, I'm not Junpei's boyfriend! Second, I'm not stealing Senpai from anyone! We're just hanging out!" Her smirk grew.

"Oh please. The whole school can see how gay you are. And who asked you anyway." He was about to throw something back at her but for some reason, no words came to mind. Akihiko, who had just watched until now, walked over to them and stepped in front of Minato.

"As you can see, I'm here with Minato right now. We'll have to talk some other time." He grabbed the younger's hand and lightly tug on it. "Come on, let's go."

"Huh? Hey, wait...!" The next moment, he was dragged away from the strip mall while the two females were glaring at the back of his head. It wasn't until they reached the dorms before the older let go of the bluenette's hand which the boy tenderly stroked. When the silverette noticed, he look a little worried.

"Uh, sorry! Did I hurt your hand?" The shorter shook his head. He relaxed for a moment before his expression hardened again. "Sorry about just now." The Junior was momentarily surprised before shaking his head again.

"What are you talking about? It wasn't your fault, Senpai." The older sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you think so." In a matter of seconds, his face became serious again. "All this about me showing off and stealing someone's boyfriend... Some people in my class say stuff like that, too. I don't even know where they get that kind of stuff. I mean, we're just two guys hanging out. What's so wrong about that?" The Summoner nodded with a certain seriousness on his face. Akihiko smiled again. "I had fun today. Hey, you're in the cooking club right? Maybe you could make something sweet for me sometimes. Something like... pancakes." The bluenette's eyes widened and he raised his hand to his mouth in surprise.

"You like pancakes, Senpai? I wasn't expecting that." The taller laughed whole-heartily.

"What, is it so odd? I'm hurt." He continued laughing and Minato couldn't help but smile himself.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Emperor Arcana!"**_

The world regained its colour and the boxer was already walking up the steps to the dorm, all the while smiling.

"Come on, I think it's already time for dinner. I don't think you want mad at you for being late, right?" The younger shook his head and followed him. A thought entered his mind and he stopped in his tracks. Back there when the girl accused him of being gay, he was unable to say anything. He always had the tendency to not lie, even if it was unconscious. A bright blush spread over his face another idea came up. He quickly shook his head. No, it was impossible. He wasn't like that. Alright, he has no interest whatsoever in girls, but it could also mean he was just asexual. Right, that had to be it. Though, whenever he was feeling all fuzzy and warm when he is with-

His train of thoughts were interrupted when a big gray cloud of smoke was wafted into his face. He coughed, jumped back down to the street and took a look at the building. A feeling of dread was creeping up to him. He glanced to the side to see that the upperclassman, while having also jumped back, looked fairly relaxed.

"Oh, looks like the girls are trying to make dinner again." He didn't hear what he said next because the Junior was already dashing into the building and tried to keep it from being even more damaged.

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8/23/2009 Sunday – Afternoon **Naganaki Shrine**

"Something on your mind?" Saoto didn't even need to look up from his work to know the other was distressed. He eyed the material before him once again. He hadn't expected the older to actually get the golden Shadows since he heard they ran away as soon as they were spotted but it was good that he did. After all this time, he was finally able to be of use to the team. Minato shifted and rubbed his stomach.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little full of eating the food I made with Fuuka-san today." The brunette nodded and turned back to his work.

"Anything else?" The older shrunk back a little and buried his hands deeper into his pockets.

"And... I hung out with Tatsuya just now."

"Oh." The boy remembered the last time they talked about the college student. From what he had heard, the last meeting of the two older teens had ended on a very awkward note. He felt a little sorry for the Persona-user, but his little-brother-instincts tingled so he was unable to act upon his feelings. He looked over his shoulder to see that the other was nodding.

"Yeah. I don't really get this guy. One moment he's snapping at his older brother for talking to him and in the next he's all quiet and gets an epiphany. Seriously, his mood swings are almost as bad as Yukari-san's." The younger Summoner grinned.

"Well, that's what you get for being so social. You're too nice to everybody, so they cling to you and let themselves be carried away by their emotions." His grin only widened. "Maybe it's your special ability? Like some of the demons have." The older blushed and glared at the younger.

"Are you saying I'm a demon now? Out of all your theories, this is the most stupid one. Get back to work already!" Saoto just shrugged, wrapped the Kunais into a piece of clothes and threw and the Junior.

"I'm long done. I would have given them back earlier if you hadn't started ranting just now." the bluenette stuck out his tongue and walked away. The eleven-year-old chuckled. "You're such a kid, Minato-nii!" The older turned around again.

"Look who's talking!" And with that he ran back to the dorm. Saoto might be one of his closest friends, but the kid just couldn't stop teasing everybody. He puffed up his cheeks and he walked up the steps of his home and opened the door. All he wanted was to go up to his room and take a nap but when he noticed Yukari sitting in the lounge, he stopped in his tracks. She was wearing her pink top and light blue jeans but Minato noticed that something was off. She was rather tense in the shoulders and was constantly shifting on the couch. She was also holding something in her hands but the boy couldn't see what it was. He slowly walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. A loud shriek echoed in the room as she swirled around to look at him. The girl just stared at him and he did the same. After a few moments, the bluenette looked at her hand and noticed the odd green thing in her hands.

"You can sew, Yukari-san?" The female looked at the hat she had made and gave him a sheepish smile.

"Um, a little."

"Can I see it?" The girl hesitated for a moment before handing it over to the Summoner. As he thought, it was totally deformed and it was hard to make out what it was supposed to be. After a few minutes of absolute silence, the archer squirmed, jumped to her feet and pulled the ting back to her.

"What are you waiting for? Laugh already! I can take it!" The Fool just stood there for a few moments before he tilted his head to the side.

"Why would I laugh? I mean, yeah, it's pretty bad and I don't even know what it's supposed to be," The girl's head was starting to turn crimson from all the blood flooding in, "but no one can do everything perfectly the moment they try, so I won't laugh. Besides, I can't sew either, so I have no right to judge." The brunette's eyes widened as she lowered her hands from her chest. There was a slight blush on her cheeks as she stared at him.

"Minato-kun..." He just smiled at her and walked away, all the while humming a soft tune.

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Minato sighed as he and Ken walked out of the book store. He had decided to accompany the boy there since he had nothing better to do and to his misfortune, he had found three mangas he liked but only enough money to buy one of them. He finally decided to buy none of them and just leave while the kid did the same. By the time they left, it was raining outside, which made the teen frown. The weather hadn't been that bad when they left the dorm, so why was it raining? Now that he thought about it, it was the first time it was anything other than "sunny" in Iwatodai since he arrived. It was pretty odd now that he thought about it. His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the very familiar voice of a boxer coming from below them.

"I'm sorry, I won't take no as an answer this time." The two boys briefly looked at each other, contemplating whether to eavesdrop or not. Nodding, both of them moved over to the railing to listen in.

"Well, whatever you do, the answer will stay the same. I won't come back." He heard a small gasp from the side.

"What are Sanada-san and Aragaki-san doing here together?" Ken whispered under his breath. Minato tried his best to sound surprised.

"You know Shinji?" The boy nodded.

"Well, yeah, we met at the summer festival..."

"You know, a new Persona-user joined us... and he's not human." They both looked down again and strained their ears to hear what they were saying.

"What?" The brown-haired teen turned around, his eyes wide.

"It's a dog. He lost his master six months ago because of the Shadows. He's incredibly loyal... Up 'til now, he's been guarding the spot where his master was killed despite the bad memories." Shinjiro just stayed silent while Akihiko walked closer to him. "Two years ago, we saw someone die in front of our eyes, but you have to stop beating yourself up about it, Shinji! You are always at that spot behind the station, even though you don't hang out with the crowd there!" The brunette clicked his tongue and turned around again, a pained look on his face.

"That's got nothing to do with it. It was my fault and it can't be erased. What difference does me coming in terms with it make? It won't change anything. It isn't the same as what happened with Shiki back then." The other opened his mouth to reply again but he didn't give him the chance. "Just shut up already. I just want to forget it ever happened." And with that, he left, not caring that he got all wet from the rain. Their Senior just stood there for a few moments before leaving, too. After the bluenette had made sure they were gone, he let out a sigh of relief and looked over to Ken to see that his face was stricken with horror. The child stepped away from the fence and shook his head.

"Two years ago... But this can't be... Aragaki-san couldn't possibly..." He kept on mumbling things under his breath. The older worriedly placed his hand on the small shoulder.

"Ken-kun, are you alright?" The eleven-year-old snapped out of his stupor and looked up at his Senpai with a strained smile on his face.

"Sure, I... just got a lot of things on my mind. If you'll excuse me, I will go ahead now."

"W-Wait, Ken-kun-!" But he was already gone before he could tell him that he didn't have an umbrella with him.

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8/30/2009 Sunday – After noon **Wild Duck Burger**

It was kind of scary how such a scrawny young man could wolf down so much food. Minato was staring at Tatsuya as he ate almost all the burgers from their tray. He knew he shouldn't be talking since he was not really known for not eating much but it came a little of a surprise to see the older do something like that. After taking a big slurp from his milkshake, the college student turned back to the younger with a big smile on his face.

"Whew, this really hits the spot." He noticed the others freaked out face and titled his head to the side. "Something wrong? You've been unusually quiet today." The boy scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"Well, it's surprising to see you this happy. Normally, you are so stoic, I'm just a little startled." The red-head thought for a moment before nodding.

"I guess I just want to let loose before I have to get back to Sumaru and eat healthy again." He sighed and leaned back in his seat. He just remained like that for a few seconds before leaning up again and smiling at the shorter boy. "You remember what I told you last time we talked, right?" The bluenette nodded. How could he forget? It had only been a few days since we had last talked and he just let it all out. How he was always jealous at his older brother for having everything he wants, how he was sick of people always comparing them and how he thought his whole path had been set for him since the day his father had been suspended out of police duty and how he decided that it couldn't go on like that. It was a little odd to hear a speech like that from someone who kept to himself as much as Tatsuya but the Summoner felt flattered that the other trusted him enough to tell him. He gave the taller a small nod which just made him smile.

"Yeah, I talked with Aniki abut it and you know what he did? He totally flipped! Shouting at me, telling me how stupid I was! I think he would have thrown over some things if he weren't so controlled! And you know what he did next?" The teen didn't even wait or the other to react. "He hugged me and told me how sorry he was for making me think that way. As if it was his fault..." Tatsuya's expression softened as his grin morphed into a small smile. "But when he told me he will try to spend more time with me, I felt oddly happy. As if I knew as long as he was with me and accepted me, everything would be okay." The smile grew a little again, if only slightly. "He even proposed me to meet his friends once we get back. Seriously, do I look so desperate to have friends that I need to hang out with people ten years older than me?" After a few moments of silence, he rummaged in his pocket to reveal a small lighter. He laid it onto the table and pushed it closer to the younger. "Here, I want you to have it." Minato picked it up and examined it for a minute. It seemed like any other silver zippo, but there were the words 'The most important things can't be seen with the eye' engraved in it. The red-head pulled another one out and waved it around a little. "See, I got one that looks exactly like yours. Only older." The boy looked at him confused before the older chuckled. "Well, I would have given you this one but I just can't part from it." A nostalgic look entered his face as he looked at it. "I don't remember getting it, but I have the feeling someone very important to me gave it to me..." He put it away again and smiled at his friend. "Anyway, it's my symbol of gratitude from me to you. Thanks, Minato. I wouldn't have been able to figure all this out without you."

A loud crash echoed inside the room and the world turned grey again. Minato looked up to see the Tower card floating above him.

"_**I am thou... Thou art I...**_

_**The bond thou hath nurtured hath finally matured.**_

_**The innermost power of the Tower arcana hath been set free.**_

_**We bestow upon thee the power to create Chi You, the ultimate form of the Tower Arcana..."**_

The boy felt a light warmth wash over his body when everything turned back to normal again. Tatsuya smiled again.

"Well, that's what I wanted to say. Hey, you want to go to the arcade one last time. We'll be leaving at eight tonight." The bluenette shook his head.

"Nah, I need to get back early tonight." After another few minutes of idly talking, the boys parted. On his way back to the dorm, the Summoner thought for a moment. Mitsuru had told him that he should get back early because the Chairman called for them, but the reason was still unknown to him. Pharos had visited him a few days ago, remembering that the next ordeal was coming up. Was it something about the mission? He shrugged and walked up the steps only to see a familiar pink top in the distance. The girl noticed him before he could even call out to them.

"Minato-kun!" Yukari shouted as she ran up to him, Hamuko only a few steps behind her. She was blushing again. "What a coincidence that we are here at the same time!" The boy only gave her a nod as an response as they entered the building. They kept on chatting while Hamuko glared at the both of them. _Maybe she doesn't want me to steal her best friend, _Minato thought as they finally arrived in the command room. Everyone else was already waiting for them.

"Hey, where have you been?" Akihiko asked with a small smile on his face. The teen just smiled back at him as he sat down beside the boxer. After a few seconds, Ikutsuki entered and grinned at them.

"Ah, you're all here." He said in an oddly happy voice. He turned back to the door and called out. "Please come in." The doors opened, revealing Ken in them. The child stepped in and announced himself. Akihiko, shocked, jumped to his feet and stared at the boy.

"You've got to be kidding me..." he whispered. The bluenette doubted anyone beside him even heard it. The chairman just kept on talking.

"After running several tests, we've learned that he has more than adequate potential. I called on this meeting to introduce him since he will join the team." Even Hamuko looked worried as she raised her hand and took another look at Ken.

"But Ikutsuki-san, isn't it dangerous? He's just an elementary student, besides-"

"Besides... what?" The man cut her off. "His ability is quite promising. With the proper training, he could be a big help." The silverette seemed to get desperate.

"But is HE okay with it?" he almost shouted. The kid shook his head.

"Actually, I asked to join." Shocked expressions met him. "I believe I can be of some assistance... Now, I finally know why I was given this power." Ikutsuki smiled at that.

"As you can see, it is his own decision." The small brunette gave them a small bow.

"Nice to meet you all. I try my best to not stand in your way." Aigis nodded while Junpei grinned at him.

"Don't worry, kid. We got your back. It may be hard at times, but just stick to it." The child smiled and nodded.

"Got it!" They soon separated again. Minato looked over his shoulder again to see that Akihiko was still rather shaken even as he entered his room for the night. The boy briefly wondered what was bugging him but quickly dismissed the thought. If it was important, then Akihiko would tell him.

Right?

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So, this is it! You may have noticed I changed the dates a bit, I hope you don't mind. By the way, please check out my blog. I wrote a snippet for my new original story there and I hope you could tell me what you think about it.

See ya!

Shadow!


	34. Chapter 34: Shinjirou and Love?

Alright, this time a soon update! My inspiration is a fountain right now! Since the people who have been stressing me out lately are gone now, I can concentrate on other things then keeping them in line from now on. I hope you like this chapter!

**Un-betaed!**

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9/1/2009 Tuesday – After School **Port Island Station**

"So, how was your time home, Souji-kun?" Minato asked as he walked to the station with the younger. Latter just shrugged.

"So-so. My parents were mostly out anyway, so it was not so different from here." he stopped and thought for a moment. "Well, except you not being there of course, Senpai." he gave him one of his rare but still very striking smiles and the older couldn't help but smile back. He hadn't told him anything about Saoto's situation yet and the bluenette couldn't help but think it was for the better. If he were to tell him now, Souji would just get back into his shell again and he could start this whole dance all over again. For both of the youngers sakes, it was best to keep it secret for now.

"Hey, you!" They both turned around to see a group of buff people walking up to them. They immediately recognized them as the people who bullied the silverette. "Look who it is. Finally have enough courage to not run away, haven't you, pipsqueak?"

"What do you want this time?" Souji just ignored the last part and just put on his stoic facade. Their leader snorted and spit onto the ground. The boy showed no reaction.

"Well, aren't you clever? I would be careful if I were ya since we now know ya big weakness!" Still no reaction from the middle-schooler.

"And what would that be?" he asked in his flat voice. The older teen smirked.

"Why, it's that brown-haired kid from the shrine! Don't think I didn't notice, I'm a very bright head!" Minato was not sure anyone noticed but the tip of his fingers twitched at that comment. "If ya don't want him to get hurt, you should behave yourself and apologize for all the bruises you gave us!" The younger just shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know that guy that much, he's just an annoying pest. You can do with him whatever you want." The gang members threw around confused and worried looks before one of them leaned down to their leader.

"What do we do? I think he's serious!" Latter sweated a little as he turned his head to his underling.

"Sh-Shut up! He's just bluffin', I'm tellin' ya! It has to be true!" He turned back to the two Gekkoukan students. "Ya better watch out for us from now on!" And with that they stomped away. After they were safely out of earshot, Souji let out all his frustrations in a single sigh.

"Why can't they just leave me alone? Now they are even pulling others into this... Man, the nerve they have..." He turned to his Senior and nodded. "Well, I need to get back home now. My parents asked me to get back early." The bluenette stared him for a moment before his eyes filled with worry.

"Are you sure this is alright? Saoto could get hurt..." Not that the boy couldn't take care of himself, but he couldn't just beat up some guys from school. The shorter shrugged and turned around.

"As long as they think that I don't care about him, they will leave him alone. Besides, there are many brunette's who go to the shrine, it doesn't have to be Saoto."

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Temperance Arcana!"**_

Souji turned to look at his Senpai one more time to nod. He then started to walk away again while Minato did the same. After a few minutes of riding the monorail, the teen noticed that the silverette usually accompanied him to Iwatodai, but remained on Port Island this time. Did that mean that the younger just came outside of the city to be with him or that he just wanted to get away from him today? He quickly dismissed the thought as he got out of the train and started to walk back to the dorm. Was the boy that much of a stalker? Maybe he really should check him for photos. As he entered the building, he noticed how Yukari, Junpei and Ken were sitting in the lounge, apparently waiting for something. The girl turned around to him with a big smile on her face.

"Oh, you're back, Minato-kun! Perfect timing!" She looked to the stairs and her smile fell a little. "Oh, get ready. Here they come." Light footsteps could be heard, followed by emerging silhouettes. The boy's just stood there and gaped as they saw Aigis clad in a winter school uniform of Gekkoukan High with Koromaru happily yipping beside her. The archer gave them an awkward smile. "Well, she wanted to go to school and I told Kirijou-Senpai as a joke, but the chairman overheard and thought it was a good idea. So from tomorrow on, she'll be a Junior in our class!" She tried her best to sound happy but it was more than obvious that she was less than pleased about the news. The bluenette stared at her with raised eyebrows.

"Seriously? He agrees with it?" Fuuka shifted a little.

"He said something about studying her behavior in a social environment..." Junpei grinned.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, it's a great idea... Just look at how cute she is in that uniform!" it was disturbing how he almost drooled onto the floor because of the robot, but the boy had no right to judge some one because of their preferences. Still, it chased a little shiver down his spine. Aigis, unaware of all of it, nodded in satisfaction.

"The camouflage Hamuko-san has provided seems to be of the appropriate size." Ken turned to the red-head in surprise.

"Arisato-Senpai, it's yours? Now that I think about it, you do seem the same height..." The girl only gave him a grunt in response. She looked rather grumpy today for some reason. She threw glares all around her and seemed as if the slightest sudden movement would make her jump. After an awkward pause, the elementary student turned back to the android. "Anyway, it looks very natural on you, Aigis-san. No one will suspect a thing. But why does the chairman want you to go to school? It's not like there's anything special about it."

"With the commencement of the second semester, I intend to synchronize my schedule to the other members. If I were to remain here on standby, it could delay our deployment. Therefore, I request to accompany Minato-san as he is our weakest member." Hamuko leaned in to her and lightly smacked her on the head.

"If you ask me, you going to school will hinder us more than it will help us." The blonde just stared at her with her big blue eyes.

"I will make any necessary adjustments as problems arise." They all looked down to the dog as he barked at them. "He said, 'I want to go to school, too.'" Yukari smiled at him and patted him on the head.

"Sorry, Koro-chan, but you have to stay home." The canine whimpered but trotted away. The others soon went their way, too, until only Minato and Aigis remained. The robot walked up to him and stared.

"I have a question, Minato-san. Why can't Koromaru-san attend school? I do not understand why I am permitted to go to school while Koromaru-san is not. Nowhere in the school regulations does it state that canines are prohibited from attending school." The boy lightly patted her head.

"It's got something to do with society, Aigis. The people are not ready for a dog who goes to school."

**The Next Morning**

"Class, settle down! We have a new student who will join us from now on. She just transferred here." Aigis bowed a little while her face remained stoic.

"My name is Aigis. I am pleased to meet you all." Loud whispers echoed inside the classroom as the students inspected Aigis' humanoid form. Well, it was not surprising. After all, right now she just looked like a blonde with sky blue eyes and nice curves. Minato admitted she was very pretty but he never didn't think of her romantically. Besides, it was rather disturbing if someone actually wanted to start a sexual relationship with her. Ms. Toriumi slapped folder onto the table which made the class instantly silent. She opened her papers and raised an eyebrow.

"Aigis... That's a strange name. I wonder if she was born overseas." Her eyes sped through the writing. "Let's see...anything else I should know? Hm? Humanoid tactical weapon? What on Earth...?" The SEES members froze in their seats as the teacher shook her head and closed the folder again. "Clearly that's a mistake. It just goes to show that you can't believe everything you read..." She looked around the room until she finally pointed at the empty seat beside the bluenette. "There, you can sit there." Junpei hesitantly raised his hand.

"Uh, Ms. Toriumi, that spot's already taken. He's just playin' hookey."

"...which means he's not here. So it's free to be used, right?" Aigis walked over to it without a word and sat down. She turned her head to her neighbor.

"This spot will be perfect." The Summoner raised an eyebrow at her. "Because I wish to always be by his side." He just rolled his eyes at her statement while murmurs exploded inside the room. He already thought she would say something like that but he had hoped she would not do it in front of the whole class. Yukari and Hamuko, both red in anger, jumped from their seats and glared at the robot.

"Aigis!" they both shouted on the top of their lungs. The blonde tilted her head to the side.

"Is there a problem?"

"Well, aren't we full of drama today?" They all turned back to the front of the class where Ms. Toriumi was also glaring at them. By the tone she said it, it seemed she was not pleased by Aigis' "Declaration of Love" either. The reason was still a mystery to Minato. "Do me a favor and save the antics for after school." The girls looked at her and got back into her seats. The boy eyed his twin for a moment before he noticed how anxious she looked as she watched the teacher start the lesson. What could the reason be?

At lunchbreak, the bluenette received a text message. He immediately recognized the phone number and quickly read it.

_I have something important to take care of after school. I want you and your sister to come. I'll be waiting by the gate, so meet me there.  
_

While he felt somehow flattered that the older trusted them enough to take him with him, he didn't know what was so important. Didn't he have boxing practice? Later when classes had ended, he got up from his seat, asked his sister to come with him and moved to get out of the room. The boy declined Aigis' offer to escort him and hurried out of the building. When they arrived, Akihiko had his face in a grimace and a suit case in his hand. He soon noticed the Juniors and tried his best to smile at them.

"Hey, Arisato, Minato, I've been waiting for you." He seemed oblivious to the glares the girl was throwing at him and just thrust out the suitcase to the boy. "Would you mind carrying this for me?" He quickly took and stumbled after the others as they stalked away from the school building.

"Where are we going to, Senpai?" Hamuko asked curiously. His expression was turning grim again.

"We're going to get someone. ...An old member."

Soon they arrived at Hagakure just as Shinji was walking out of it. The brunette clicked his tongue at them.

"You're starting to get on my nerves, Aki." The boxer showed no reaction.

"The situation has changed, Shinji. Sorry, but this time I ain't asking." The other just threw him a confused look as he pointed at the suitcase Minato was holding. "Those are yours, you will need them." He paused for a moment as his friend didn't move. "We have a new enemy. They are Persona-users, just like us." For a fleeting moment, shock flashed over the delinquent's face but that was soon masked by annoyance.

"So what?"

"There's more. Ken Amada joined our team." This time, the shock and anger remained unmasked.

"What the hell are you saying?" he shouted. Akihiko was still as calm as ever.

"He has the potential and the chairman has okayed it. He is now a Persona-user." He looked off to the side for a moment.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." He looked back up and glared at his friend. "Let me ask you one thing. Was it his decision to join SEES?"

"Yeah, he volunteered."

"I see..." he mumbled before nodding. "Then count me in." He walked over to the only girl in their group and stared at her. "So you're the one leading the operations now, huh? If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you fighting for?" Hamuko froze for a moment before swallowing and looking a the other with determination.

"You could say it's my way of atonement." Shinji raised an eyebrow at her. Their leader glanced at her twin for a moment before looking at him again. "Also, there is something I have to protect at all cost." The Senior looked at the short boy himself for a moment before nodding in understanding.

"I see. But remember: I do my thing, I will let you do your thing." He turned back to the youngest and took the suitcase from him. "Is my room still vacant?" Akihiko nodded with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, we kept it the same way as before in case you came back." The brunette just clicked his tongue as the four of them walked back to the dorm. After a while, the taller of the Seniors leaned over to the other and whispered something into his ear. Minato was not sure how he was able to hear what he said but the fact was that he did and that the words made a shiver run down his spine.

"Look out for that Minato when I'm not there. He is not like anyone else of your lot."

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"Are you sure it's okay?" Akihiko nodded at him.

"Sure, we got all the things settled for Shinji and I have no practice today." Minato looked down at his hands as he packed the last of his things into his bag. It was not like he had any plans, either, but it felt kind of awkward after what happened the last time they hung out. On the other hand, they probably won't eat dinner tonight since the girls can't cook and Shinji was still taking care of other stuff. After another few moments, he nodded at the older whose face split into a big smile. "Alright, let's go then!" He grabbed the younger's hand and pulled him out of the classroom. The bluenette tried his best to ignore the curious stares of his classmates and the heated glares of the girls. They soon arrived at Wild Duck Burger and took seats in the back of the restaurant. It was really full, especially for a school day.

"So many people... Is there some kind of promotion today?" Minato looked around for moment before he took a little bite of his burger. He felt a little down since the older told him not to eat that much today, but at least he got to order something spicy. The silverette took a little sip of his soda before something seemed to click inside his head.

"That reminds me, the other day, Mitsuru..."

"Noooo! I want a milkshake!" A child sitting at the table next to them cried. His mother looked rather annoyed as she thrust his drink back at him again while the rest of the family kept on eating.

"You already said you wanted juice! You can't have both!"

"Why not?" 

"Because you can't! It's the way things are and you have to follow them!" The conversation pretty much kept the pattern while both voices grew louder and louder as they went on. At one point, Minato just couldn't take it anymore and turned around to them.

"Could you tone it down a little?" It took him a few moments before he realised just how rude and snappy it must have sounded but it did the job. The mom, at first still angry, soon noticed how loud they were and blushed a little.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry..." She turned to her son with an angry face. "See, this boy is mad now because you are being a bad boy!" She turned back to the students and bowed her head a little. "I'm really, very sorry..."

"Huh? Um... No, you don't have to be..." Akihiko said with his eyes wide with surprise. The family got embarrassed and soon left. They could still hear the boy's screams even after the doors of the restaurant closed behind them. The Senior absentmindedly watched as they walked away. "He was so full of energy..." Minato nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he's a kid, after all." The older smiled some more.

"Then you can't really hold it against him for acting like one." He let out a hearty laugh but soon fell silent again. He looked at the younger, a little uncertain. "Minato... Do you think I'm... strange?" That surprised the Summoner, actually. He thought about the many different interpretation of that question and about all the possible answers. He felt the tension building up between them and growing gradually thicker, so he decided onto the most fun answer. He leaned closer to his Senpai with a small smile on his lips.

"You're a charmer." A bright pink blush spread over the taller's face as he shook his head.

"T-That's not what I was asking for!" he shouted on the top of his lungs. A few heads turned around to them but they kept on ignoring them as they saw that there was nothing special about them. The blush remained on his face which made in return the younger blush. _Senpai looks kind of cute when he blushes... _He lightly shook his head when the other didn't notice. What made him think like that? It was wrong, to think something like that about another guy... "You know..." Minato quickly looked at the other as he continued talking. "Sometimes, people tell me I'm a weird guy or that I'm acting strange... It doesn't bother me now, but back when I was younger... they would say it was because I didn't have parents..." The boy didn't know what to say to him now. "There was nothing I could change of course, but... somehow, I wanted to show them that they were wrong." A moment of silence passed between them before the boxer smiled and shook his head. "But that's not important right now. It's all way in the past, too. And the orphanage wasn't all that bad either." Realisation seemed to hit him and he looked at his companion again.

"Oh, I don't think I've told you yet. I don't have parents. My sister and I grew up in an orphanage. But she's... long gone now, too." After a few moments of thinking, his gaze moved to the table top. "That reminds me, you don't have parents, either. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up..." He thought again and shook his head. "No wait... I think that might be the reason why I wanted you to hear what I have to say about it. Because I think I can depend on you to understand me." A warm feeling spread all over his body again as he watched the older smile at him. His cheeks heated up at that beautiful face smiling at him and just for him.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Emperor Arcana!"**_

"Anyway, we should eat up and get back already. We still have homework to do." They ate for a few minutes before a sullen look took over the younger's face.

"Senpai, I think I have to tell you something, too." The silverette looked up at him with crumpled bread hanging on his cheek. "About my parents... I don't really remember them." The boxer looked surprised for a moment before shrugging.

"Well, you were young when they died. It's only natural that you forgot some things due to trauma." The bluenette shook his head.

"That's not what I mean. I mean that I pretty much can't remember anything clearly from before the incident." Akihiko's eyes widened. "It's not just that, I had to relearn several things after the incident. The doctor said that I had somehow hit my head or something, but what if it's not some medical condition but something else? Almost every person who ever got close to me since that day had bad things happen to them in their life. What if... there's something wrong with me?" He felt a warm hand on his own when he noticed that the older had touched him.

"Don't say stuff like that. Whatever anyone ever tells you, there's nothing wrong with you. Don't let anyone convince you of something else." He felt a blush coming over his face again as he quickly pulled his hand away and ate his burger, a little slower than he would normally do. Strong and brave Akihiko was always there for him. He had been from the very beginning, reassuring of himself when he was hesitating or worrying over him when no one else did. And he did the same for him. Maybe the feelings he had... were they more than friendship? Was he really feeling that way? He lightly shook his head. For now, he had to keep it in the back of his head. Only time could tell him if he was right.

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Alright, this is it for today! It's very late over here again so I have to get to bed soon. I hope you review!


	35. Chapter 35: Fifth Moon and Chidori

Alright, this took a little longer than I thought. Sorry, it's just been a while since I last wrote a fighting scene, so it took a little more effort. The scene still didn't come out that good though, so I hope it doesn't spoil the whole thing.

Hope you enjoy!

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"The 6th full moon... It's finally here." Hamuko muttered as they walked to the Paulownian Mall. Fuuka had previously detected the next Shadow at that location which didn't really help since the mall was so big. Flames of determination burned inside her eyes, making his eyebrows raise. Ever since the day they went recruiting Shinji, she had been even more set on training and destroying the Dark Hour. It made him wonder why meeting the brunette had changed her that much. A thought entered his mind which made him grin a little. Could it be that she had a crush on him now? That would be funny, he hadn't thought of her of one of the girls to like bad boys. A loud huff made him turn his head to the front where Yukari was angrily stomping her foot. She walked over to the fountain, slumped down on it and let out a loud sigh.

"Damn that Junpei! Just when things are getting serious, he walks off and misses the fight! What an idiot!" Ken scratched his head.

"I'm sorry I didn't find him. His bag hasn't been in the dorm either, so I don't think he got home yet. It's strange though, why would he miss something as important as this?" Akihiko shrugged.

"Well, Fuuka didn't sense him either, so there's nothing we can do about it. Let's just get to it already." The greenette stepped of to the side and used her Evoker. The beautiful creature that was Lucia appeared above her, scanning the area.

"Yes, the Shadow is definitely in the Paulownian Mall... I just can't pinpoint its exact position..."

"Let's just spread out and search for it. There's not much else we can do right now," Hamuko said without any bit of emotion in her voice. She quietly stomped off to her own way, leaving everyone else at the fountain. After some time, they, too, went their own ways to find the Shadow. As Minato walked to the Arcade to search, Shinji caught him by the shoulder.

"Hey, about Iori, did he say something to you?" The bluenette tilted his head to the side.

"I think he wanted to meet someone at the station. Why do you ask, Shinji?" The older let him go again and walked away, leaving the boy in confusion. Latter just shrugged and ran off to search for the Shadow. After a few minutes, he felt the familiar buzz in the back of his head and welcomed Fuuka inside his head.

"_I think I know why I can't pinpoint its location. It's because its power is spread out underneath us like a web!"_Fuuka shouted in understanding. _"Its core seems to be in a small square box underground." _That information didn't help much, but it was more than nothing. He heard Aigis on the other end of the line.

"_Maybe it has something to do with the cables in this area. This place was once a power-plant and the remaining cables were buried."_

"_I see, so it's the same as the monorail... The Shadow took control over the cables,"_Mitsuru's voice echoed inside his head. Square room... Underground... How many places were in the mall that fit the description...? Since it took over the power cables, it had to be somewhere where it could hack the power lines... Was there really such a place in here? Wait, there were some kind of rumors that the Escapade had power problems the last few days... Could it be-

"_I got it!" _Fuuka announced herself in his mind again. _"It's in the basement of the Escapade! The closest to it is Ken-kun!" _So he was right. What a surprise. _"Ken-kun, please wait for the others to come before you enter it!" _He didn't think she needed to tell him that. After all, Ken was one of the more mature ones in the-

"_We're in a hurry, aren't we? I can deal with it on my own." _And here all his theories and logic were thrown out of the window again. With a big sigh, the boy ran to the night club. After the few times they had been in Tartarus together, Minato had thought that the kid had more common sense than that. Even if he was strong, he would never be able to defeat one of the big Shadows all on his own. The bluenette heard someone swear in their comm link and he was tempted to do the same. Luckily, he was not far from the club, so he should be able to arrive before the boy could seriously hurt himself. After a few moments he reached the building, his Kunais raised in his hands. He could hear the others coming in the distance but he had no time to waste. He charged in and ran down to the basement. He quickly opened the door and jumped to the side when a bright lightning barely missed him. He looked around the room to see Ken and Shinji were also dodging the attacks of the Shadows which was bound in the center of the room. It's arms and legs were cables that were connected to others on the ground while things similar to bolts were on its back. White electric flames sprung from its face, its head turned to the young Summoner, shooting another thunder attack at him. The boy quickly dodged again and clicked his tongue.

"What took you so long?" Shinji shouted at him from the other side of the room.

"Sorry that I'm human and can't fly!" he replied sarcastically. He took out his Evoker and held it to his temple. "Orpheus!" The musician appeared above him, plying his lyre. A gigantic fire ball appeared before him, flying at the enemy. It hit it with a loud cry, making it stumble a little. Minato turned back to his team mates who were panting in exhaust and used Mediarama on them. He dodged another attack and looked at the others. "Don't try to irritate it too much! We only have to hold our stand until the others come!" The older brunette clicked his tongue and made Castor tackle the Shadow again.

"And since when are you the leader?"

"Since the rest of you jumped into this situation without thinking! Now move it!" The enemy let out a horrible shriek again as a bright light illuminated the room. The group quickly guarded themselves. The bluenette felt electricity tickling up his spine and he resisted the urge to shout. That the weakness of his Persona was lightning didn't help him at all. The attack finally faded, making him fall to his knees. He felt a buzz in his head a gain and waited for the girl to speak to him.

"_Sorry for the wait! I already went ahead and scanned it! Alright, lightning, darkness and light won't work, so you'll have to stick with physical and fire for now!"_

"How long will it take for the others to come?" he gasped as he healed himself.

"_I had to lead them here, but it shouldn't take much longer! Just hang in there!"_Minato gave a grunt in response and summoned Orpheus again. The persona let his harp fall onto the enemy, eliciting another cry. He kept on throwing attacks at the Shadow, not daring to summon one of his demons. Most of the ones he took with him had resistance to lightning and those who had were too small to effectively fight. Maybe Junpei was right, maybe he should get some bigger familiars. He looked at ken who, despite his resistance, was struggling to stay on his feet. He quickly concentrated on healing him, forgetting the enemy for a minute. A minute was apparently all it needed to hit him with a fatal Ziodyne. The Junior was thrown off his feet and fell onto his side. He could only see with half closed eyes as the Shadow charged up for another strike again. He was about to think he would faint again when he heard voice calling out to him.

"**Minato!" **He felt wrapping itself around him again but this time it was not trying to hurt him. The Ziodyne was nullified as the shield around him disappeared but he felt oddly tired all the while. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked around to see red eyes staring at him. Hamuko clicked her tongue and pulled out another card from her pocket. She stared at it for a moment before crashing it with her bare palm.

"Come on! Frolic!" he felt a wind coming up to them and rose petals flying around and the next thing he knew his wounds were all healed again. His sister held out a hand to him which he gladly took. Aigis was soon by his side and took over for her. The red-head nodded at her and turned to the Shadow. "Yukari, Aigis, you two stand back. Your weakness to lightning will only make you an easy target. Give him Soul Candy while you're at it."The girls nodded at her and took out the refreshing sweets. The boy hastily ate them and felt immediately better. The little break was soon over because the Shadow was attacking again with Zios again. Minato clicked his tongue and summoned his Persona again.

"Go, Orpheus! Marakukaja!" The musician played his lyre again, wrapping all the members of SEES in a warm purple light. The Shadow was not pleased and send another wave of lighting at him him.

"_What's going on? It's like it's targeting Minato-kun!" _Fuuka cried. Akihiko jumped up to the younger boy and used Polydeuces to block the next attack. It didn't take much longer to defeat the Shadow and soon they were standing in front of the empty stage of the Escapade. _"Alright everybody, we're done here. Oh, I also found Junpei-kun, he's at the dorm right now. We should hurry back now." _The team sighed in relief and Minato got out of the back of the club. With Yukari and Aigis with him in the back, the healer and buffer respectively, he had only been of use with his fire spells. The fact that the Shadow kept on targeting him made Akihiko protect him which made the fight unnecessarily long. Their leader turned around to Ken with an annoyed look on her face.

"Before we go, I've got a thing or two to tell you, Ken-kun." She walked up to him and stared at him for a good minute. After a moment of hesitation, she gave him a firm smack on the head. "Don't do this ever again, got it? We were worried sick!" The child rubbed the top of his head and stared at the floor. The Junior sighed and put her hands on her hips. "We are a team, Ken-kun. You don't have to do everything on your own. If you ever need help, just call us, alright?" The boy looked up to her, a small blush on his cheeks and his eyes wide. Shinji clicked his tongue again and ruffled his hair.

"Let's get going already before the Dark Hour ends." The team shuffled out of the room, his twin moving to do the same. But before she could, Minato grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Wait." She stared at him for a moment before her eyes moved to their joined hands. The boy released her and scratched the back of his head. After a few moments of silence, he lowered his hand and smiled at her. "Thanks. You really saved my life back there." Hamuko just stood there for a moment before turning away, her face looking a little red.

"D-Don't think about it." The boy shook his head.

"No, I mean it. If you hadn't intervened, I would be dead now. Thank you." He scratched his cheek a little. "Besides, I'm kinda happy." That made his sister's head snap up which he smiled sheepishly at. "I'm glad that you care enough about me to save me. Before, I always thought that I didn't matter, but even if it's just because I'm part of the team, I'm glad that you care. So, yeah, I'm glad." He titled his head to the side and grinned. "Man, that sounded stupid, didn't it?" The girl turned away from him and walked over to the door.

"I already told you to not think about it anymore, blueberry! Now let's get going before the others leave us behind."

"Um!" She stopped again and looked at her brother, her face even redder now. "If it's not too much to ask, could you call me Minato from now on?" When she didn't stop staring at him, he blushed himself. "W-Well, you called me that way back at the fight, so I thought..."

"You really do think too much about stuff. Just forget it already." She walked away again and Minato sighed. It was not that easy to build up a relationship with his sister again, was it? "Oh, by the way." He looked up at her and was shocked to see her smile at him. "Fuuka told me how you let Aragaki-Senpai and Ken-kun before we arrived. Good job. I think from now on, whenever I'm not around, I could start leaving the others in your hands. Keep up the good work, Minato." It took him a few moments to actually register what his sister had told him but when he did, happiness was washing over him. He was about to call out to her again when another voice could be heard in the distance.

"Hey, you two! What's taking you so long?" Yukari shouted from the top of the stairs. The twins looked at each other and smiled. Together, they walked back up to join the others.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Sun Arcana!"**_

The way to the dorm was a quiet and quick one, considering they used their Personae to get back. But once they reached Iwatodai, headaches started to rip his mind apart, making Orpheus disappear. While he could have easily ridden with one of his teammates, each of them was too tired to continue so they had to walk the rest of the way. It was not long before they reached the dorm again and Minato shook his head as a voice entered his mind.

"_I can see them... through Medea's eyes..."_

It was similar to how Fuuka communicated with them but something just felt off. He looked at his teammates to see that they were totally unaffected as they unlocked the door. He clutched his head again as the voice could be heard inside his head again.

"_More importantly... leader... why didn't... mission off?" _Whoever it was, it had to be girl, although the voice was rather deep. Call the mission off? Just what was she talking about and to who? His answer came not long after in form of another voice.

"_I'm no leader..." _Junpei? While they were off fighting Shadows, he stayed at home and talked to a girl? But something was odd, why were they talking about a mission? He looked at the others as Fuuka led them to where the baseball-player was. He concentrated as the voices grew louder in his head.

"_Tell me, was it all just an act? Us meeting, your wound, the pictures... Now that I think about it, the would did heal pretty quickly..." _Who was that girl? The bluenette remembered how the other told him that he was meeting someone at Port Island since the end of the summer break. Could that be her? But why would she capture him and be active during the Dark Hour? Was she also a part of Strega? The connection was broken when he heard his green-haired friend gasp and almost fall off the stairs. Hamuko quickly ran up to her and caught the girl.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern. Fuuka shook her head and looked at the door in front of her, leading to the roof.

"How can this be...? I think there's someone else with Junpei-kun... but why didn't I feel them until now?" Minato looked at her and then back at the door. He quickly passed his other teammates and ripped the door open. The sight of a red-haired girl dressed in a white frilly dress with Junpei kneeling in front of her met his eyes. The girl moved to put her Evoker up to her chin but before she could do so, the boy had already thrown one of his Kunais at her, knocking it out of her hand. Junpei freed himself from the robes keeping him bounded as he threw himself at the stranger and pressed her onto the floor.

"Chidori! No!" Just at that moment, Ikutsuki, Shinji and Akihiko, who went to the command room to get the man, arrived on the roof. The chairman looked at the two teens on the floor and gasped.

"Huh? When did she-?" Chidori desperately reached out for the artificial gun, her eyes wide in shock.

"No! Medea!" The others quickly regained their composure and Aigis ran up to Junpei and took the girl into her custody. Fuuka looked obviously disturbed and took a few steps back.

"H-How can this be...? I didn't feel her until just now... It is my only power, and yet..." The boy walked to her side and laid his hand on her shoulder. The chairman shook his head.

"If even Fuuka couldn't sense her, then she must have some sort of power to conceal her presence. I didn't have the slightest clue she was here..." Akihiko walked up to the Evoker and quickly picked it up, making the girl only panic some more. Mitsuru walked up to her and gave her a stoic look.

"Are you part of the group that goes by the name of Strega? I have a number of questions for you." The girl only started to pant heavily as she stared at the floor. She slightly parted her lips to whisper something.

"...I am not... afraid... of death..." she said between gasps. Junpei leaned in to her and looked at her, worry obvious in his eyes. The girl just continued to pant and he started to frown. With a sigh, their red-haired official leader waved her hand dismissively.

"She is obviously emotionally unstable. We will let her rest until we can get answers out of her." She nodded at Aigis who in turn moved her captive to the stairs. Their Magician watched their retreating backs with a sad face. After he had calmed down Fuuka and sent her to bed, Minato walked up to his friend and lightly shook him.

"Come on, Junpei. Let's go back." After looking at him in surprise, the taller Junior nodded and walked down with him. Once they arrived at their hallways, the older bid him good night and retreated into his room. Minato waited for another few minutes before the boy stepped into his own. Once inside, he just stood there for a moment before giving his closet a firm punch. It may hurt right, but he was way too upset to care. The longing look his friend had given that girl, Chidori... It was obvious that the other harbored deep feelings for her, whether they were romantic or not was not for him to judge. But it was also obvious that she was not well and that their relationship could only end in a tragedy. He kicked his shoes of and slumped onto his bed. He felt the effects of the Dark Hour disappear as the clock on his nightstand started to move again. The Dark Hour... It was all because of the Dark Hour this all happened. Why Yukari's father died, why Mitsuru felt responsible for the Apathy Syndrome, why Junpei and Chidori could not be together... If the Dark Hour didn't exist, then none of this would have happened. He thought for a little more as he changed out of his uniform and into his sleep wear. He remembered the last time they had met Strega. While that Takaya-guy didn't use one, both Chidori and Jin used the very same Evokers as them just without the SEES logo on it. He looked at his own that was lying on the table. Those were not easy to get and the only place he knew to get them was the Kirijou group. He narrowed his eyes before slipping under his bedsheets. Strega and the Kirijou group were connected somehow, he just didn't know it what kind of way. He let out a small yawn before burying his head inside his pillow. Mitsuru probably didn't know about it since she must have been young when it happened, so the only person to get information from was the chairman. He frowned as his eyes slipped closed. That man was keeping something from them. All the more reason not to trust him.

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Yay, Minato and Hamuko bonding time! It was kinda fun to write this chapter, especially that particular scene. I hope you like it as much as I do!

**Review can be very encouraging, you know? I would be glad if you guys could give me advices at what to improve!**

Your Shadow!


	36. Chapter 36: Chidori again and Nurse

It was, to say the least, one of his more awkward days on Port Island. Junpei had started to ask about Chidori the moment he woke up and Yukari had no other choice but to tell him. For some reason, they dragged both Minato and Hamuko along. Their classmates probably thought the twins could ease the tension hanging over them but it was a grave miscalculation on their side. If anything, it was just even more tense. They were currently inside the hospital, searching for the room the red-haired girl was residing in. The Archer told them that Akihiko and Mitsuru were probably trying to interrogate her which made the Junior just more anxious. After a few more minutes they reached the room and Junpei stared at it before gripping the door handle. The brunette of the group tried to hold him back with all her might but ultimately failed as he dashed into the room.

"Chidori!" he shouted at the top of his lungs and froze once he saw her sitting on the bed. She looked even paler than usual and didn't even bother to look up from her drawing. His classmates quickly followed him inside and Yukari walked over to their upperclassmen and bowed a little.

"Sorry, but he wouldn't stop bugging me about this place..." Mitsuru looked at Hamuko and Minato for a moment before sighing. Junpei got closer to the patient and gave her a strained smile.

"Hey, are you alright? You seem to have calmed down."

"Indeed she has. In fact, she won't say a word." The older redhead said as she got closer to the bed and stared at the sketchbook. "Maybe we should, confiscate her sketchbook, too." Minato snapped his head to her and gasped.

"Senpai, I think that goes too far. It's not like taking away her things will make her talk!"

"I'm not sure, she was rather aggravated when we took away her Evoker. Speaking of which, where did you even get it from?" Something seemed to change inside her as the girl looked up from her drawing.

"Medea..." Her face twisted in anger and she slammed her sketchbook onto the bed. "Give it back to me! I want her back!" Akihiko turned to his fellow Senior, his own expression of anger on his face.

"Mitsuru! I told you not bring that up, didn't I?" he all but shouted at her. Latter turned around to him, desperation dripping from her voice.

"Then what else am I supposed to do?" She sighed and shook her head. "...I will send someone else to do it next time." Their leader turned to the brunette in the room. "Takeba, call a nurse. We're done for today. Akihiko will inform Ikutsuki-san about the difficulties we're having." The girl nodded.

"Got it." She turned to her classmates and lightly pushed them to the door. She gripped Junpei's arm and dragged him away from Chidori. His pained expression remained and Minato kept staring at the Strega member as she seemed to speak some kind of mantra as she shivered.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

9/7/2009 Monday – After School **Home Economics Room**

"Oh no..." Fuuka whispered and Minato looked up from the hot sugar cookies he was taking out of the oven. It'd been a while since he had last hung out with the girl and he didn't know how much he had missed just cooking with her. He looked over her shoulder and his mouth opened in disbelief and shock. She had told him before that she planned to make rice balls like the last time they were together since it was the only thing she could do on her own right now, but for some reason she managed to put enough water into the rice to make porridge. "Seriously, why am I always so hopeless at everything...?" The boy gave her a small pat on the back and smiled.

"You just have to try harder next time." The girl looked surprised and nodded with a smile on her own.

"Yeah, thanks..." She looked back to the rice cooker and sighed. "But what are we supposed to do now? I mean, we can't just throw it all away, it would be such a waste." The bluenette followed her gaze and shrugged.

"Well, it's still edible, it's just porridge." A light seemed to pop into the Priestess' mind and she smiled even more as she walked over to a shelf and pulled out a small bag.

"Of course! We don't have to make it into balls, we can just eat it as it is! Come sit, Minato-kun, let's have some rice porridge, I've got plenty of pickled plums!" The boy obediently sat down and waited for the girl to put some of the rice into a bowl and put a few plums on it. "Alright, this is your share! Thanks for the food!" She sat down and dug into her own bowl, a small giggle escaping her lips. "This is good rice porridge!" They kept eating, enjoying the taste. When they were done and putting away the dishes, Fuuka smiled even more than before as she looked at him. "Thank you, Minato-kun." He couldn't help but smile back at her.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Priestess Arcana!"**_

They soon finished and walked out of the school. It was already a little late and the sun was setting in the distant.

"You know, maybe we should stop eating so much before we go back." The girl at his side seemed a little worried.

"Why, didn't you like it?" He shook his head.

"No, of course I liked it, it's just that I think that Kirijou-Senpai might get mad if we are too full for dinner." They both shivered at the thought of a mad Mitsuru. The walk back home was filled with idle talk and chatter and before they knew it, they were already standing in front of the dorm doors. The first thing they saw when they entered was the bright smile of Yukari as she put the dishes on the dining table.

"Oh, there you are! We were just getting ready for dinner." Both of the teens momentarily froze. The Archer waved her hand in dismiss. "No, don't worry. Aragaki-Senpai is cooking. It won't be lethal." Hamuko stepped out from the little kitchen they had behind the bar with a bunch of chopsticks in her hand.

"Yeah, so, could you get Ken for us, Minato? Fuuka, please help us preparing everything, alright?" They both nodded and the boy walked up the stairs to the first floor. He walked over to the younger's room and lightly knocked.

"Amada-kun? You in there? Dinner's almost ready." No response. The bluenette leaned in close and heard what seemed to be crashing noises and explosions. In confusion, he knocked again. "Amada-kun?" Again, no response. Maybe he went out without the others noticing. He tried the door handle and was surprised that it was not locked. He slowly opened the door and stilled once he saw what was going on inside. There was Ken, obviously jumping in excitement, sitting in front of the TV, watching Featherman. The boy seemed to soon notice him and his face paled in shock.

"Arisato-Senpai? I-It's not what it looks like! I wasn't watching this series or anything! I was just surfing channels and it came up and... N-No! I didn't want to watch it or anything! It was a coincidence!" The child kept on babbling on and on until the older raised his hand.

"It's alright Ken-kun. You don't need to look for excuses." The boy just kept on panicking and was almost hyperventilating. Minato sighed, walked over to him and laid a hand on the younger's head. "Calm down. There's nothing wrong with watching shows like that." The brunette seemed to relax for a moment before putting his hands on his knees and blushing.

"B-But it's so... _childish_." He said the last word like it was some kind of insult which only made the other sigh. How was it wrong for a child to act childish? Maybe he should try to make him feel better somehow. He looked over to the Tv and smiled a little.

"You know, when I was your age, I used to watch Featherman every time it aired. Actually, I still watch it sometimes." Ken snapped his head up to him and gaped for a few seconds in childish surprise before slipping back to his more mature part of is character.

"But, Senpai, that's not someone at your age should do, right? I mean, shouldn't you study for your exams and do... you know, adult stuff?" Minato shook his head and smiled.

"I don't think your age should influence what you like." His fellow persona-user just stared at him as he walked out of the door. "So now that's settled, let's get to the others. Dinner's ready." They slowly left the room and walked down the stairs. After a few minutes, the brunette grabbed the others sleeve, his face slightly pink.

"Would you mind... watching Featherman with me once in a while?" After his surprise was shaken off, the Fool smiled at him.

"Sure, of course we can watch together. Just ask, okay?" The smaller male smiled back at him and they both joined their friends and teammates for dinner.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"So, anything you want to do today?" Souji just stared ahead into the distance before tilting his head to the side.

"Not really, you?" Minato shook his head. It has been rather tense in the dorm lately and the bluenette was glad to take a little time away from the fussing team. While he tried to help the best he could, there was only so much he could do when he was not permitted to enter Chidori's hospital room. Well, at least Junpei looked somewhat happy lately. He looked back at the silverette and watched him as he played with a strand of his hair. Something seemed to be bothering the boy but the Fool was unsure whether it was alright for him to ask. After all, if he hadn't told him about it already, it must be pretty private. The fourteen-year-old looked up at him, a little confused before he smiled.

"Hey, I thought I was the stalker out of the two of us." The older blushed a little and took a step away from him.

"...Are you suggesting me being a stalker?"

"Well, what other explanation do you have for staring so intensely at me?" He was about to protest- maybe with some half-baked excuse of his- but a loud and familiar voice made them both turn around. They were at the Port Island station again and people coming from the school were filling the place. Some shady figures were gathering around the vending machine behind the stairs again and the teens immediately recognized them as the people who were always bullying Souji. They steadily got closer to them, despite the younger's protests, as his shouting grew more and more understandable.

"So you want a fight? Huh?" their leader shouted. The little brunette in front of them remained unimpressed and wiped the spit from his face in disgust.

"Why are you asking _me _if I want a fight? You were the ones who came up to me." Their eyes widened when they saw exactly who it was. Saoto was standing amidst of those bullies, totally relaxed and calm. It surprised Minato that he was not the least scared. But the cold tone he was using, it was something he had never heard of him. Normally, the brunette was always so happy and enthusiastic, like the sun warming him. But while he was not used to it, this kind of attitude somehow looked more natural on the boy; calm and not taking any shit from anyone. He was so deep in thoughts that he had not noticed how Souji ran up to the group and stood in front of his smaller classmate, his eyes flaring with anger.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Get away from him." While he didn't raise his voice, the anger in his voice was obvious. The rogues were slightly surprised at his appearance, but soon found their composure again and sneered at him.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to not run away from us!" That earned their leader a roar of laughter from his minions. Souji remained stoic.

"If I may remind you, **you **were the one always running from **me**." The man was taken back for a moment before he spit onto the ground.

"T-To hell with that! It ain't true!"

"Keep on deceiving yourself. The truth won't change." Minato, who was observing the whole dispute from a safe distance, considered interfering before deciding against it. No, this was a big deal for Souji. If he were to do anything, it would do more harm than good for him. The boy _needed_ to do this alone. He looked back up to the teens and hid walked over to one of the benches before sitting down. One of the minions walked up the teen and grabbed him by his collar.

"You making fun of the leader?" he shouted at him and the silverette didn't even blink, even as spit was splattered all over his face.

"No, I was totally complementing him. Didn't you notice?" _Ouch. Didn't know Souji could be that snarky. I have to remember not to piss him off. _The young boy teared himself away from the bulky male and rubbed his face with his arm before turning back to their leader. "Anyway, you better keep your distance from Kirita from now on."

"So what ya gonna do about it?" Souji tilted his head to the side and grabbed Saoto's hand, who had just silently watched them until now.

"Let's just say, I won't silently watch while you try to hurt one of my friends." You could almost feel the ice that was attached to that statement. The bullies just stood there as the two boys walked away from them and up to he station. There they talked for a few moments before the younger waved the other good bye and hurried to get his train. The silverette waved back and turned his head to where Minato was seated, surprising the older. His lips moved and the bluenette had to strain his eyes to form words out of them.

"_Thank you."_

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Tower Arcana!"**_

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"Hey, Chidorita!" Junpei shouted as he entered the hospital room with a sketch book under his arm. Mitsuru and Akihiko were standing not far from their captive and rolled their eyes at the nickname. The girl in question looked a little uncomfortable herself as she sat on the bed, interrupting her drawing.

"Please don't call me that," she said in a flat voice. The Magician's smile grew as he sat down on the chair beside her and laid the book on the night stand.

"Aw, don't be like that! Look I brought you a new sketchbook. I thought the old one might be getting full." A small blush spread over her face as she looked off to the side.

"...That was not necessary, Junpei." The Junior's grin turned into a small, almost shy, smile.

"Hehehe... you said my name. I was worried I might never hear it again." The door opened and quiet footsteps could be heard as Shinjiro walked over to his classmates and looked over their shoulders.

"So, got any luck?" The red-head shrugged.

"She finally started talking but nothing useful yet."

"Well, at least we made some kind of progress. But why are you doing here, Shinji?" The boxer asked his friend who just shrugged and looked over to the two younger teens at the other side of the room. They were idly chatting with each other until something seemed to make the girl choke. The SEES members stared in shock as they saw something resembling a person floating above Chidori. Shinjiro hurried to her side and forced some pills down her throat. After a few gasps and coughs, the red-head seemed to have lost consciousness and the older turned away.

"Was that... a Persona?" Mitsuru mumbled as Junpei almost tripped on his own feet and grabbed the girl by her shoulders.

"Chidori! Are you alright?"

"Relax... It happens." The team turned to the former delinquent in surprise as he made his way to the door. "They're not like us. They can't fully control their Persona. That's why they have to take supressants to keep their Persona from killing them." Akihiko raised an eyebrow.

"You know about Strega?"

"You'd be surprised what you can learn on the streets. I'll give the doc the right pills. The rest is up to you." He quickly left, the boxer high on his tail. Chidori seemed to regain her consciousness and looked around before her eyes fixed themselves on the boy by her side.

"...Junpei?" The Junior quickly jumped to her side again, his eyes filled with relief.

"O-Oh thanks god! I thought you might be..." He didn't dare finish his sentence in fear it might become true after all. The girl seemed sincerely surprised at that reaction.

"Why do you look so scared? Death is nothing to be afraid of... Dying just means you don't wake up anymore... That's all." The Magician's eyes widened in shock and he quickly shook his head and took a step away from her.

"W-What? You don't really mean that do you?" He grew more and more panicked as time went on until he finally snapped, "I don't want you to die!" Tears of desperation were gathering in his eyes, surprising the other people in the room. "Just because you're not afraid doesn't mean no one else is... Did you ever think about how I might feel?" Silence reigned over the room for a few moments before Chidori started to giggle.

"You're so weird, Junpei." The other started to laugh at well, wiping the tears out of his face.

"Ha, yeah, right, look who's talking..."

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Minato woke up with a start, clutching the bed sheets around him. One look at the ceiling was enough to tell him that he was in the nurse office right now. For some odd reason, Hamuko had decided that they should visit this place some time to taste that odd medicine their teacher always made. It took him a few moments to remember what he had been doing until he got there, though.

_Right, school just ended and I was about to leave when that odd feeling came over me... _The boy turned his head to the side to see his sister sitting there in chair beside the bed. When she noticed he was awake, she leaned in to him.

"Hey, you feeling alright? You suddenly collapsed when you left he classroom." After a few moments of consideration, the bluenette nodded and sat up, still feeling a little dizzy. _Must be the vision. I didn't know that had to make me collapse now, too. _A chair was pulled on the floor and the twins turned their heads to look at their teacher and resident nurse, Mr. Edogawa. He swirled around in his chair and pointed at an oddly steaming bowl on his table.

"He's feeling better already? Are you sure you don't want to try my medicine today? I bet it can solve all of your problems." The red-head visibly paled at that, confusing her brother.

"What's wrong? We normally come here to try it, don't we?"

"You didn't see him making it. Believe me, you're glad that I'm not letting you drink it." The Summoner tilted his head to the side. If Miss I-would-agree-to-work-with-a-group-of-monster-hunters-I-know-nothing-about was afraid of drinking that stuff, there must be some seriously odd things in there. He slowly got out of the bed, grabbed his bag and backed away from the teacher with his sister. After a few steps, both of them sprinted out of the door, ignoring the shouts and odd stares they were receiving. Once they were safely out of the school building, they stopped and looked behind them to make sure the nurse was not following them. Minato looked at the girl and gave a little smile.

"Well, that was a close one, I guess." He got a pat on the shoulder in return as Hamuko walked to the school gate.

"Yep, I can't allow you to get sick. Especially when we go crash training in Tartarus tonight."

"Wait, what do you mean, 'crash training'?"

"You better warm up before we go or else you're gonna be pretty sore tomorrow."

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Yay, finally another chapter done! Was I the only one holding bets inside their heads at how long it would take to finish this time?

Anyway, I tried to make equally original and adapted parts in this chapter so it's a bit more understandable.

By the way, I planned to start a new original story. I know, I write too many at the same time, which is the reason the updates have been slowing down lately. But this time I try to make a more mature theme unlike Cryptics, which is more like a big fat parody, or Dream State, which is a juvenile mystery thriller that is not very thrilling. It will be BL though and when you have the time, check out my deviantart. I would appreciate it.

**Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! Please review!**

Your Shadow.


	37. Chapter 37: Hierophant and Revelations

Has it really only been a month since I last updated. Felt longer to me.

IT'S SO FUCKING COLD HERE! WHY IS IT SO FUCKING COLD?

Seriously, just our luck that some wind from Russia/Sweden comes to freeze us all to dead.

I actually wanted to make this chapter all about Shinji but then Souji happened and then I thought, to hell with it.l

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9/11/2009 Friday – Evening **Hagakure**

"Are you sure you should put that much Wasabi on it?" Shinjiro asked as he warily eyed the huge amount of green sauce that was spread over the boy's rice. Latter just blinked at him in surprise and tilted his head to the side.

"Would I put so much on it if I weren't absolutely sure?"

"I don't know..." He eyed Minato for another few seconds before sighing and taking a bite of his own food. He regretted it immediately and flinched in pain. The bluenette, who had been happily nibbling on his own food until now, looked up at the other and raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong?"

"Just forgot I've got a cut in my mouth." The other looked even more confused now that the brunette started to smile. "Aki punched me." His eyes widened as he fidgeted with his chopsticks.

"Did you guys have a fight?" His smile grew even more.

"Well, yeah, he found out about... you know, **that.**" It actually took Minato a few seconds to register what he meant but then his eyes widened even more . He quickly looked down to his plate.

"... I see." He wanted to punch himself for it the moment it left his lips but he honestly didn't known what to say in such a situation. Now that he thought about it, Akihiko did seem pretty mad when he followed Shinji out of the hospital room. The older just chuckled.

"Yeah, well, you were right when you said he would take it badly when he finds out. That guy was so upset, he took no mercy. That guy has to remember how hard a box champion punches." An awkward air settled around them as they just ate for a few minutes. Shinji looked around for a moment.

"Do you eat here often?" The bluenette jumped a little before shaking his head.

"Not as often as I would like to."

"But you like it here, don't you?"

"Yes." The older nodded to himself again before sighing.

"I wish Aki would eat here, too... That guy doesn't get his balanced share of nutrients." He shook his head and took another bite of his rice, before looking at the shorter again. "Speaking of Aki... In your opinion, is he fighting well?" Minato took a few moments to think before giving a small smile.

"Well, since he manages to beat the enemy up while covering me, I think he's doing pretty good. But it is true that he seems to be letting down the last few nights."Shinji kept a stoic face and nodded.

"I see... His Persona is pretty hard to handle after all..." They were silent for a few seconds before he gave him a small smile himself. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't ask that. I mean, you're not the leader and it's not like you don't have your own difficulties in battle to always observe the others around you. I know I shouldn't stick my nose into stuff that don't concern me, it's just the way I am. It seems Aki and Mitsuru are more comfortable fighting than back when I was with them. When we first started, we were just fumbling our way through, but now SEES is an effective combat team. Seems like you and your sister are helping out quite a lot." Minato almost choked on his food at that and stared at the older with wide surprised eyes. He just got a appreciating look in return, making him blush a little. He swallowed and scratched the side of his head in embarrassment.

"Well, it's more Aneki doing all the work, really. But I do my best." Shinji smiled somewhat sadly and laughed.

"But be careful not to strain yourself too much. You will have to face a lot of things soon..." The bluenette raised an eyebrow at the unusually cryptic phrase but let it slip. He must be pretty tired, suddenly being in active duty again, he's probably not thinking straight. With a sudden crash, the world turned gray again and a blue card showing something looking like a harpoon with several small pictures in the corners.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou hast established a new bond...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hierophant Arcana!"**_

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"Hey there! Did I surprise you?" Pharos shouted as he jumped down onto the bed to wake the bluenette out of his slumber. Startled, Minato stared at him for a moment before falling back onto the mattress.

"I'm more surprised at the fact that I'm not in the least surprised that you're here." He received a childish giggle in return and he felt the bed shake again.

"It seems three seasons have passed since we first met. Time goes by so quickly, and many things change. Yet some things will always remain the same... Don't you agree?" The teen waited for a few moments before slightly sitting up and ruffling his hair.

"I guess so." The child chuckled again and magically vanished only to appear a few meters away from the bed. A mysterious smile was lingering on his lips as he slowly turned around.

"Talking with you made me remember stuff. ...That tower, for instance. I've been thinking about it lately... Will our relationship stay the same...? Or will it evolve? No matter what the future holds, you and I will be friends...that is for certain." He threw him another smile before waving good bye. As he disappeared, the world turned gray.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Death Arcana!"**_

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9/14/2009 Monday – After School **Naganaki Shrine**

"So, what did you want to talk about, Souji?" The silverette stared at the offering box in front of him for a moment before turning around to the older. His special little half smile was on his face again as he took a step closer to the Junior.

"I just figured out something and I wanted to tell you before you are too busy." The older lightly tilted his head to the side in confusion. Before he could ask what he meant, the younger spoke up again. "I think I finally found out why I was so... obsessed with you." Oh, so they were back to that topic again. The bluenette had almost forgotten that Souji was his very personal stalker. "I think it was more like I was admiring you. The first moment we met, you seemed like a pretty inverted person, quiet and not noticing your surroundings. You seemed... a lot like me, honestly." he scratched the back of his head and his smile grew. "But when we saw us next, you were ready to jump in to help me, someone you only saw once. It made me see just how great of a person you are." Minato blushed a little as he shifted his feet.

"I'm nothing special."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. Not everybody would throw themselves between a total stranger and a group of bulky bullies." It didn't really convince the other, but it did make him go quiet. "Anyway, after spending some time with you, I noticed how even though you may have been hurt in the past, you were ready to make new bonds with the people around you, unlike me. You were ready to get out of your shell and try to understand other and let them lean on you. You were everything I was afraid to be." His smile saddened a bit as he looked at the ground. "I think I kind of used you all this time and I want to apologize for that. But after I spent more time with you, I realised how good it felt to spend time with someone else and to bond with them. It made me realise how much I've been missing out with my attitude." He shook his head and looked the older straight in the eye. "I can't keep on closing my eyes and covering my ears to the world around me." He hesitated for a moment but then the silverette gave him the warmest and brightest smile he had ever seen on his face. "Thank you for making me see that." He pulled out a little note book from his pocket and handed it to the other. "It's a collecting of all the things I'e gathered of you. You could call it my 'Stalker-book'. Take it, I don't need it anymore." His smile didn't waver even once as he said that and Minato couldn't help but return the smile as the world turned gray once again, a choir echoing from nowhere. The card holder at his hip started to glow as the Temperance Arcana materializing in front of him.

"_**I am thou... Thou art I...**_

_**The bond thou hath nurtured hath finally matured.**_

_**The innermost power of the Temperance arcana hath been set free.**_

_**We bestow upon thee the power to create Koryuu, the ultimate form of the Temperance Arcana..."**_

The world soon turned to normal and the younger was still standing in front of him, happier than he ever had been. After a few moments he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I should probably go find Kirita soon. Apologize, you know." The older smiled and nodded and the boy was about to walk away when a single golden butterfly flew up to them. Souji tilted his head to the side and opened his hand for it to land on before a bright light wrapped itself around the two teens. Minato clenched his eyes closed only to find himself in a gigantic bird cage. The Junior quickly scanned his surroundings to see that the other was lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. The older quickly ran up to him and checked his vitals, only to let out a sigh of relief when he found them to be normal. The bluenette quickly snapped his head up when he felt something looming over him to see a person in a white suit and a mask with half a butterfly on his face. His dark red-brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail and the part of his face you could see showed that he smiled.

Minato immediately knew that he was not human.

"I am Philemon, an identity born from the wish of humanity to grow. Welcome to the realm of subconsciousness." The Persona-user kept staring at him but lost his hostile feeling to reasons unknown to him. "So we meet again, Minato Arisato." His eyes widened.

"Meet again? What do you mean? And how do you know my name?" The man chuckled and turned away.

"I see, you don't remember. Well it does not surprise me. After all, it has been ten years and you were not really in your right mind back then." _Ten years ago? _A vision flashed over his mind, the blurry images of the man now standing in front of him. He looked up to the other again, his eyes still narrowed. "But this is not of concern at the moment. The important thing right now is the boy in your arms." Philemon, having moved faster than he could catch with his eyes, suddenly leaned down to them and lightly touched the younger teen on the forehead. After a few moments his eyes slowly opened and dazedly stared at the man. "Hello, my boy. Can you tell me what your name is?" The student blinked and nodded.

"I'm... Souji Seta..." he slurred as he wasn't really awake yet. It was enough for the deity who took the youngest's hand.

"Very well. I shall now grant you power." A blue light surrounded him and after a few seconds the boy was out cold again.

"What did you do?" Minato asked as the taller stood up again.

"I granted him the power you call Persona. It will be very important for the sake of humanity for him to control it." The bluenette's eyes narrowed even further.

"Were you the one who gave Aneki and me this power? And why can I see into the future?" The man was silent for a moment before turning away from his completely.

"I promise that all our question will be answered by the end of the year. Until we meet again." The Summoner was about to protest but the light blinded him again and the next thing he knew, he was back at the shrine with an unconscious Souji in his arms. The teen was too dazed to actually realise what just happen but the boy stirring boy in his embrace made him snap out of it.

"Senpai...? What happened?" The Junior hesitated for a moment. He was tempted to tell him everything, tell him everything about Personae and Shadows and Philemon so he was prepared for what might come but something kept him from doing so. He closed his eyes and thought for moment before opening them and answering with a small grin on his lips.

"You passed out. Did you eat properly today?" The younger smiled and gave him a light punch on the arm. It was a secret he had to keep. He had to keep the truth away from him until the time came.

When that time was, he had no idea.

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Minato looked around for a bit as the waitress took off with their orders. While it was not really unusual for him to be in the Chagall Cafe, it surprised him that Shinji out of all people wanted to go here with him. He looked back to the older when loud coughing erupted from his throat. He leaned over the little table and slapped him on his back until it stopped.

"Are you alright?" The brunette nodded as he leaned back in his seat.

"Yeah, it happens now and then. It's not contagious, so don't worry about that." That didn't make the younger feel any better. It actually just confirmed his suspicions.

"Is it because of... **that**?" It had to be. Drugs always had some kind of side effects and for as far as he knew, Shinji had been taking them for a while. The Senior stared at him with wide eyes before he smirked and nodded again.

"You're pretty sharp. Yes, that's the reason." He only got a glare in return. It was nothing he should be so smug about. "Calm down, it could be much worse. If you hadn't stopped me back then, it would happen more often. As it is, I only cough every few days." He looked around the Cafe for a moment and sighed. "Man, I hate coming to this place when I have one of my days."

"Why, feeling embarrassed?"

"No," he responded with a face that clearly read 'what the hell are you talking about?' "I just feel bad for the people working here when one of the customers is just sitting there and coughs." The bluenette raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you here then?"

"Well, I needed to buy something... Ground coffee... I need to remember to buy it before we leave."

"You drink coffee at the dorm?"

"Well, if there's any left..." A few moments of silents passed between the two before Shinjiro looked away from him. "...I'm going to use it for cooking." He tried to hide his blush but he miserably failed. It made the younger kind of happy that he was not the only one who wore his heart on his sleeve. He hadn't even noticed that he started grinning until the other called him out on it. "Hey! You were the one who brought it up, treating the whole dorm to dinner..." He remembered that night. They were about to leave and get something to eat when they smelled something burning in the kitchen. They immediately ran back inside to see Yukari sitting in front of a pot of smoking... **something**. He still wondered how she managed to make beef stroganoff into that. After Shinji taught (punched it into) her how to do it right, Minato had proposed to him to cook for the rest of the dorm once in a while. Looks like it stuck. The boy only smiled back even more.

"I'm looking forward to it." Shinjiro sputters a little before shifting in his seat and looking away.

"It's probably better this way, anyway. Even if we eat together now and then, they still eat whatever they want most of the time and none of them can cook even if their life depended on it."

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hierophant Arcana!"**_

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Minato. Hated. Homework. Period.

Not only was it completely unnecessary since most of the slackers don't do them anyway, the straight students learn anyway and then there are people like him that already knew all that stuff and don't need to learn. He groaned when his pen fell down onto the floor and under the table. He quickly got down to his knees and frantically searched in the shade of the desk. He saw something and was about to reach out to it when-

"Hey dude! I wanted to-" He was interrupted by a loud yelp from the younger as he hit his head against the table. He just curled up into a ball on the floor and groaned even more as Junpei walked up to him and rubbed him on the back. After a few minutes the bluenette looked up at him, still a little in pain. "Dude, what did you do down there?"

"Doing something stupid," he simply snapped as he straightened and laid the pen down on the table. "So how are you and Chidori doing?" The other looked surprised at the question but grinned nonetheless.

"Oh, we're doing great! She finally opened up to me! I think we are official now!" The boy smiled a little as he sat down on his chair again and jotted something in his folder. "Oh right, I almost forgot. Hamuko is searching for you. She's in the kitchen right now." He held his pen tightly enough to make it creak under the pressure. His sister was in the kitchen, out of all places. He jumped out of his seat, hurriedly said bye to Junpei and ran down the stairs of the dorm. When he arrived, his twin was just taking out the eggs out of the fridge.

"Oh, there you are. What took you so long?" She sat them down in a bowl together with the little bag of rice and other stuff she had prepared. The younger tried his best not to show his relief at the fact that the girl hadn't started cooking yet.

"I chatted with Junpei for a bit. Sorry." He walked over to her and looked at the ingredients. "So what are we going to make?" She blushed for a second and her brother raised an eyebrow.

"Omurice..." Before he could say anything about it, the red-head blushed even more and punched him in the arm. "It's not for me! I want to cook it for a friend but I'm scared I would mess it up if I don't practice before I let them try it!" As the boy rubbed his arm to ease the pain (He seemed to get hurt a lot lately) he thought for a moment. Sure, everybody liked Omurice but who would ask his sister, out of all people, to cook it for them? None of the girls certainly since Yukari and Mitsuru are too proud to ask and Fuuka is smart enough not to. Akihiko was too busy shoving down that protein stuff, Shinji could cook for himself and Junpei knew what bad of a cook the girl was. So that left two people since he didn't ask and Aigis was a robot, so...

"You're cooking for Ken?" Hamuko visibly flinched as he was preparing the rice. Good, at least she knew how to do that. Unlike Fuuka when they first started. "I'm not judging you. I think it's pretty nice of you. He must have a lot of pressure since he's the youngest of us. Except for Aigis and Koromaru of course."

"Yeah, whatever." She looked up at him for a moment and just stared. "Did you grow?" The boy's eyes widened as he thought about it. After a few seconds he shrugged.

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?" She stepped closer to him and raised her hand so it was just above her head.

"Well, last I checked, I was almost as tall as you and now I only get up to your eyes. And since I don't shrink, you only could have grown, right? It's about time you get your growth spurt, anyway." Now that she mentioned it, she did seem a little smaller in his eyes. And when he talked to Junpei just a few minutes ago, he could look at him without craning his neck. He blinked again and his sister smiled. "Now that that's settled, let's get to cooking." The boy quickly showed her what to do, how to make the sauce and everything else she needed to know. They decided to first make one as an demonstration and then another one so Hamuko could try it out herself.

"It's actually a very simple recipe. The only really hard part is not to burn the egg, but you can put anything you want in it," he said as his sister stirred the rice in the pan. She hummed a little melody as she watched the meat sizzle in its own fat and tilted her head to the side.

"You know, I've been thinking." Minato looked up at her as he put away the things they didn't need anymore. "Do you still have that sword of yours?"

"You mean Aoi Chou? Yeah, sure, it's in my room. Why?"

"Mind lending it to me?" He was sure the look on his face must have been hilarious. As far as he could tell, he looked like a fish out of water with his gaping mouth and wide eyes. The older Arisato chuckled as she stirred the food again. "I know it's a present of an old friend of yours, but I thought since you've gone through so many weapons it would only be fair if I try something else, too." His surprise lingered for a few more moments before he just nodded.

"Um, alright... I guess."

"You don't really sound all that enthusiastic about it."

"Well, I'm kinda scared of what you might try to use it for..." He only received another punch in the arm for that. The twins laughed together before going on with their work.

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I should probably stop to try to do several things at the same time. This chapter would have become longer if I hadn't read some depressing Supernatural fanfiction while writing it.

I watched the Season 5 final last night and my sister bawled her eyes out. It was so damn sad, why does Dean always have to lose everything he loves over and over again. And then suddenly Sam appeared again! I mean, what the hell?

And now I have to wait for another year again because Prosieben always has to take so fucking long to dub a series.

I'll stop ranting now.

Your Shadow.


	38. Chapter 38: Typhoon and Shinji

UGH, I'M SO SORRY!

Really, I have no adequate excuse this time, really. I just suddenly got so many exams and projects and the same time and my teammates weren't really the most cooperating and I was deprived of sleep because of stress and then there's work experience coming up and then there's the condition sheet for high school and-

I will just stop now, okay? There was just a lot going on with my life.

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Minato looked up at his happily chatting dorm mates as he placed the dishes onto the table. The whole Strega and Chidori business had put much strain on the team the last few weeks, even if they didn't notice it themselves. He looked back behind him to Yukari and Hamuko who were trying their best not to spill all of the food onto the floor. He still couldn't believe that Shinjiro just combined their cooking lesson with the dinner he wanted to cook for them. Soon the whole table was filled with delicious smelling food and the bluenette couldn't stop his stomach from growling. He heard footsteps from the stairs and turned his head to see Aigis leading Mitsuru and Ken to the dining table. Former smirked when she saw the set table.

"My, did we order a chef to cook?" Shinji rolled his eyes and motioned for the others to sit down which they did without protests. Soon the room was filled with the sounds of ravaging teenagers as they gulped down the food as if it were their last time to eat. The Summoner looked over to Ken who seemed to hesitate from picking up his chopsticks. He was about to ask what was up before the kid just smiled and joined their dining.

"Wow! I'm in heaven!" Yukari cried as she cupped her cheek. Junpei grinned and took another bite of his fried rice.

"This is the portal to the delicious dimension!"

"What is that even supposed to mean?" Minato grinned at Mitsuru's comment and ate his own food. The others weren't exaggerating, it really was that delicious. All of a sudden, he heard coughing erupting from his side and looked up to see Akihiko choking after he almost swallowed his whole plate at ones,. The teen quickly gave him a glass of water which he gulped down without hesitation, making a relieved sound after the whole escapade.

"Geez, Senpai. You don't have to eat so fast, it's not like anyone's going to take it away from you or anything," he said with a little bit of worry in his voice. He heard Shinjiro chuckle from the other side of the table.

"Yeah, Aki. Don't worry, there's enough for everybody; I made sure of it." The chatter continued for the rest of the dinner and soon everybody ate enough to feel like they would be bursting any minute. After they cleaned up, Minato decided to make some tea as some kind of sign of gratitude for the brunette and sat down with him in the now empty lounge. The older male leaned back in his seat and sighed.

"Man, what a day."

"Look at the bright side, everybody is happy and ate right," he responded with a small smirk as he sipped his tea. The Hierophant smiled himself and leaned onto his knees.

"It was kinda fun, wasn't it?" For some reason, his smile turned a little sad. "If you hadn't brought it up the other day, I probably would never have done something like this. It was so simple, I just had to do it." The boy smiled even more and kept drinking his tea in satisfaction.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hierophant Arcana!"**_

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"Fuuka, can you tell us anything about the upcoming guardian. Beside it being powerful, I mean." Fuuka hummed a little as she scanned the enemy.

"_I'm sorry, but I can't get anything other than that." _Hamuko clicked her tongue as she propped up her sword on her shoulder. It was their first time in a while to finally be in Tartarus again she was eager to make sure that each one in the team was set for the next Arcana Shadow. Even if she was certain that the team could handle anything in the block of the tower right now, a guardian was still another thing entirely. She clicked her tongue again and walked up the gigantic stairs, closely followed by the others. They could do that, there were enough of them. It wasn't long until they finally reached the next floor, its golden walls reflecting every move they made. They looked around for a bit before dashing down the corridor, running head first into a gigantic white table. The Shadow's flying objects halted as a wave of heat overcame them. They barely had time to dodge as gigantic flames were thrown at them.

"Oh, great. Even more fire," Minato mumbled under his breath. "Means my magic is pretty much useless, huh."

"_Alright, everybody! I'm sure you can do it! I can't get anything clear from it, but just be careful about light and fire attacks!"_

"Yo, leader! Any orders?" Junpei asked as he summoned Hermes to hit the Shadow with his feet. The girl just shrugged in response.

"Just hit it with all you've got!" she shouted before sprinting at the foe and giving it a good slash with her blade. It cleanly cut through the weird wood, making one of the legs fall off and making the monster let out a cry.

It was incredible. She didn't even need any training to perfect her sword fighting. It actually made her brother a little jealous.

He didn't have much time to think about it, though since he had to dodge another wave of flames again. At the corner of his eye, he could see the others doing just what6 their leader had told them to: Just hitting it with anything they had. He was about to call out Orpheus to heal them when he heard one of the stupidest things in his life.

"Hit him with some fire, Hermes!" He barely had time to run to the taller Junior and push him out of the way before the fireball was thrown back at him, hitting the wall behind them. The two teens just stared at the burn mark before the bluenette hit Junpei square in the face. Latter quickly jumped away from him, rubbing his nose. "Dude! What the hell was that for?"

"I could ask you the same thing! Fuuka said we should be careful of fire attacks! Doesn't that _somehow _indicate that it has some kind of fire-resistance?" The brunette just stared blankly at him before scratching his head.

"Uh... Actually, I never really thought about it..."

"Well, you better think next time before I have to pull your ass out of shit again!" he shouted as he jumped back to his feet. He quickly dodged another dire attack and summoned his Persona to heal the party. It went on like that, most of them just hitting it while Yukari, Mitsuru and Minato standing back and giving support. All of a sudden, the table cried out, almost making his ears bleed.

"_Be careful! It's charging up for an exceptionally strong attack!" _He barely had any time to summon Orpheus to shield him before a blinding light filled the room. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the floor, not really remembering how he got there. The pain in his lower back indicated that the blast must have thrown him off his feet somehow. He strained his neck to take a look around the room. It took his eyes some time to focus but when they did, he let out a sigh in relief. Good, everybody else was still standing. He felt the warm feeling of a mediarama overcome him and just let his head fall back to the floor. The warm buzzing in the back of his head alarmed him of Fuuka's presence and just let her in for once.

"_Minato-kun! Please, answer if you can hear me!" _he cried, panic practically dripping from her voice. He just groaned for a moment before answering.

"Hear you loud and clear, Fuuka-san. Mostly the former, though." She gasped before starting to stutter. He faintly felt another healing spell washing over him and straightened his back.

"_I'm sorry, I just thought you were..."_ She didn't dare finish that sentence. The bluenette shook his head and readied his weapons.

"Just forget about it. So, what the hell was that just now?"

"_Oh, um, I couldn't really place the element. It didn't seem to have one. The attack was incredibly strong and I think it's almost impossible to dodge it." _He groaned.

"Are there any good news?"

"_Well, it seems the Shadow can only use it once in a while since the spell drains a lot of energy, so you should be good for now."_

"That's something, I guess," he said as he dashed toward the enemy, giving it a good swipe with his knifes. From the other side of the room, Ken was shooting lightnings at the while the rest of them tried to make to fall to its knees... or whatever a table has to kneel on. When the team was rather worn down once again, the Summoner took out his Evoker to heal them again when he heard another loud shriek came from the foe again.

"_Minato-kun, watch out!" _Fuuka shouted but he was too late to react. He just stood there, eyes wide while a blinding light closed in on him. All of a sudden, he felt a weight on his side and before he knew it, he hid the ground with a loud thud. He shook his head, trying to shake the fog out of his mind. He looked up when he felt something pressing him down and his eyes widened when he saw Shinji lying on him.

"Tch, and Aki told me you're fast." He barely registered what the older said when Hamuko let out a war cry and slashed the Shadow in two, successfully eliminating it. Soon, the team was gathered around him as the two teens got back to their feet.

"Nice save there, Senpai," their leader said as she joined the happy group. Yukari was too busy fussing over Minato to even notice that he was trying to get her off him until Aigis pulled her away. The boy sighed in relief and gave the older brunette a light pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah, Shinji. I would probably be dead if you weren't there."

"Wait, you're on first name basis?" The looked around to see Akihiko standing right behind them, eyes wide. The bluenette raised his eyebrow.

"What's so weird about that? I'm on first name basis with a lot of people."

"Yeah, I know but- Why Shinji?" the silverette asked, scratching his head.

"What's wrong with him calling me Shinji?" Shinjiro asked. Hamuko, who had just observed their conversation with a frown on her face, walked over to them and threw her arms over the boys' shoulders.

"What's wrong, Sanada-Senpai? Jealous that Minato here might have taken your place as Aragaki's best friend?" The boxer just frowned.

"No! That's not what I mean at all!"

"Then what? Are you jealous of Aragaki getting close to Minato?" That quickly earned her a bright blush from the older, who started to flail his arms around.

"N-No! I didn't mean that either! I was- I mean, I wanted to say-" The team shared a hearty laugh as he just continued to stutter away. After they had all calmed down, the group proceeded to explore the floor and took the teleporter back to the entrance. All the while, Akihiko looked down to his feet while Hamuko was watching them like a hawk.

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9/18/2009 Friday – Evening **Dorm**

_I can't fucking believe this, _Minato thought as he slammed the dorm doors closed, frowning at his drenched clothes. He knew that a typhoon was coming, but never had he thought that it would come that out of the blue. He barely had any time to start running when it suddenly started to rain on his way home. He turned around to see that the whole team was gathered in the lounge.

"So you weren't quick enough, huh?" Junpei asked with a little smirk on his face. He only got a glare in response, making him laugh out loud. "Oooooh, the little princess is pissed. Everybody, behold or you'll be fried!" This earned him a smack over the head from Yukari.

"Stop it, Junpei. This is not funny!" He still chuckled.

"W-Well, according to the news, a typhoon just hit the area. Supposedly, it's the biggest on record and will probably take a while for it to blow over," Fuuka announced with a small smile. Junpei sighed.

"Yeah, thanks to that, the school festival was canceled. Not that I mind though." The school festival, the bluenette completely forget about that. Apparently, Yukari was supposed to dress as a maid and their whole class wanted to do something with music, but he didn't really help organizing it, so it pretty much left his mind. "Man, but it sucks that were stuck inside. So, what are you doing on our break?" The boy blinked.

"What break?"

"Dude! We have the time off until Thursday! Don't tell me you forgot about that!" When he still just received a confused look, he turned back to his other teammates. "What about you, Fuuka? What are you gonna do?"

"Oh, I wanted to go to the movies..."

"Oh! The movies! Is it a date?"

"Oh, no! No, of course not! I'm going with Natsuki-chan. She just loves movies. But if it rains so much, I'm not sure if we're able to go..." Junpei hummed in response and turned to the others.

"So what about you, Yuka-tan? Still got practice?"

"Hah, I doubt it. Archery fields are outside and with the strong wind, we are hardly able to walk, let alone shoot an arrow."

"Same for me, this stupid typhoon will mess up my training," Akihiko said from his place on the couch. Junpei grinned a little as he gave himself a thump up.

"Well, I'm more than happy to talk about my plans!"

"I suspect you will visit Chidori-san," Aigis looked up from where she was communicating with Koromaru and the Magician grinned even more now. "Although she has stabilized, we cannot release her."

"Yup! Aigis, you must be physic!" He proudly struck his chest out. "And you know what? She WANTS me to come! How awesome is that?" He quickly caught himself and grinned a little. "Not that I'm bragging or anything... I just thought I should check up on her,m with the storm and all."

"Oh, Ken-kun, what are you gonna do during the break?" Fuuka quickly asked when she saw the child sitting at the side, not saying a word. The boy looked up at her and shrugged.

"Oh, nothing really..." He glanced over to Shinjiro who was also just watching the team converse among themselves and cleared his throat. Junpei walked over to him and poked him in the cheek.

"Come ooooon! There's got to be something you want to do!" The poking continued until the brunette finally snapped.

"Alright! Fine! I was gonna play Feather Man with Aragaki-Senpai! Is that such a big sin?" The team just stared at him for a few moments as Ken grew red and Shinjiro just looked off to the side. Each of them had their own little grin on their face and the boy jumped to his feet. "Anyway, I'm going back to my room. I have a lot of homework to do." And with that he left without a word. The team watched him leave before chuckling. Ken was just a kid, after all. Minato took a short look around the room.

"Now that I think about it, where are Aneki and Kirijou-Senpai?"

"Oh, they are off making sure that there are no leaks in the dorm. You know, in case anything happens," Yukari said, a small blush on her face as she eyed him. He thought it was odd but nodded anyway and started to walk up to his room. He felt a little dizzy, now that he didn't have a bunch of people talking his head off. He quickly entered his room and considered taking a shower. He quickly dismissed it, though, as another wave of dizziness washed over him. He tried to take of his school clothes before going to bed, but he collapsed onto it as soon as his knees touched the edge.

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"_Oh shit, I can't believe this! A cold, really?"_

"_Well, he was pretty drenched when he came back, so it doesn't really surprise me."_

"_Oh god, we should have noticed! Why did we have to keep with us so long, anyway? We should have sent him up to take a shower immediately!"_

"_Well, you were probably too busy staring at his visible chest. And don't you deny it, Yuka-tan, we all totally saw it."_

"_Wha-?"_

"_Stop your bickering, you two. We better take care of him."_

"_Huh, he always used to get sick more often we were smaller, but I never thought we would get a cold that easily."_

"_As Yamagishi-Senpai said before, he was rather wet when he came home."_

"_I propose that I shall take care of him in the time of infection. As an android, I am incapable of catching a cold."_

"_Nice try, Aigis, but I don't think that's such a good idea. After all, you barely have any knowledge of the human body."_

"_It is sufficient."_

"_Yeah, whatever, so we'll leave it to you two, okay?"_

He groaned when all the voices finally left the room. He didn't even really try to understand what they said, he just was so tired, he wanted to sleep and never wake up again. He almost jumped out of his sheets when he felt a cold hand feeling his forehead. Grey eyes were staring into his as he slowly slipped back into oblivion again.

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He kinda felt like shit, and he had no idea why.

Minato sat up in his bed with a groan and looked out of the window. The sky was much clearer than he remembered when he fell asleep. He groaned once more as a headache entered his head and fell back onto the bed. Just what the happened? How long had he been asleep? He almost fell out of his bed when the door opened. He looked up to see his sister, her eyes wide.

"Oh, finally conscious?" She walked over to him, put down the glass of water she was carrying and quickly placed her hand over his forehead. It felt awfully nostalgic but he just shrugged of the feeling. "Great, your fever finally went. Still a little warm, though." She took some pills out of the first aid kit on his night stand -had that been there before?- and handed him them together with the water. "But now that you're awake, you should be able to take your medicine on your own, right?" he nodded and quickly took them, grimacing at the bitter taste. It was something just had to get through. "Seriously, you worried us though. Just lying there, not really doing anything beside breathing. You could have thought you were dead."

"...I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice somehow both raspy and soft. The girl shook her head and pushed him back down onto the bed.

"Oh no, don't you dare start that again. I have enough of your apologies. Just lay down and rest for a little more. You should be fine by tomorrow." He nodded and Hamuko turned and round and walked off to the door. When she was sure he was about to fall asleep, she said, "Man, I can't believe that Sanada-Senpai can stand a sick you for several hours at once. There has to be something seriously wrong with him."

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9/22/2009 Sunday – Daytime **Hagakure**

Minato shifted in his seat as he looked over Akihiko. Right after he had been declared healthy by his sister, the older male had asked them if they could go eat out for the day. It had been a while since they last hung out and the awkward air around them was thick enough to cut with a knife. The boy looked back down at the table as the cook gave them their meals.

"Uh... Well..." the older boy started, "Um, how are you? ...Physically, I mean." The Summoner raised his eyebrow. What kind of question was that?

"I'm fine now. Thanks for asking." He didn't mean it to sound snappy, but his suspicion was leaking into his voice. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. He was just hanging out with Akihiko, what was the big deal? Just because he was acting a little strange? Everybody has a bad day once in the while! And it's not like Akihiko was nervous because he thinks of him like... that. Right? But what if he was? What would he say? What would he answer? What if his next words would be a confession? Oh, god he-

Oh god, he acted like one of the boxer's stalkers if they ever went on a date. Even for someone like him, who had several embarrassing moments in his life, that was a damn new low. That was not like him at all. He looked over to the upperclassman again and was surprised to see him frowning. He started to eat his Ramen when the other boy started to talk again.

"I-It's just... whenever I see you fight..." He paused for a moment before started again. "I kind of feel... angry."

That was the moment he almost choked on his noodles. Akihiko let out a little cry while he tried his best to make the other male breath normally again. When Minato was suffocating he turned to the elder with eyes wide in panic.

"What am I doing wrong?" he shouted, completely loosing his composure. That earned him a bunch of eyes turning to them. _That seems to happen quite a lot whenever I am here,_ he dully noted.

"Huh? What? O-Oh! Oh no,m I didn't mean it that way..." he said, still a little startled by the boy's outburst. He turned back to his food and scratched his head, troubled. "It's less being angry and more like... irritated." He shook his head. "No, that's not it, either. I think I get... nervous."

"Do I... look that unreliable?" Minato asked, his voice soft. The silverette quickly looked up to him and smiled.

"No, no. You're doing a great job. Really." He fell silent after that, looking even more troubled than before. "Is there... any way for you to stop fighting...?" The bluenette snapped his head up to him, his eyes wide. The older boy seemed to have talked before thinking before he quickly shook his head. "Ugh, no, I shouldn't say that. I mean, from us all, you are the one trying the hardest. It's just plain rude to say stuff like that."

"Should I leave the team?" That made the boxer violently shake his head.

"N-No! No way! We need you! If you weren't there, we would... I would..." he sighed and covered his face with his hand. "I-I'm sorry... I just confused myself. What the hell am I saying...?" Minato just stared for a few moments before nodding and turning back to his food. They ate in silence for a while until the older spoke up again. "You know... I think deep down, I know why I don't want you to fight. I think... I'm worried about you." The younger male's eyes widened once again as he stared at his Senpai again. The other teen was looking off to the side but it was clear that he was brightly blushing.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Emperor Arcana!"**_

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"... so, yeah. Then we just finished our food and went home without saying another word," Minato finished, an awkward smile on his face. He had agreed to just sit down with Shinji and talk for a while but after the first ten minutes, he ran out of ordinary topics, so he just told him about his time with the others. The brunette just sat there for a while and listened, smiling once in a while. It actually worried the bluenette that he was that quiet.

"Sounds like you enjoy spending time with him. You laugh the most when you tell me about him." he chuckled when he saw the younger blush. When he calmed down again, his face darkened. "You look the best when you laugh, so... just don't cry, okay?" That just confused the boy. He was tempted to ask what was going on, but it felt like this was something important. He gave one of his brightest smiles.

"Of course I won't!" The corners of Shinji's lips curved upwards.

"Yeah, just keep on smiling... Just like that." His expression fell again as he looked down to his feet. "I have to make sure I don't leave anything behind... no doubts, no regrets..." he mumbled, probably just to himself, but Minato caught it. He frowned.

"Hey, what do you mean, 'don't leave anything behind'? Are you going somewhere?" The other male kept silent, just looking at the floor. "Shinji, please talk to me. You're seriously scaring me right now," he said, turning desperate. This was not how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to just hang out with the upperclassman but all of a sudden the air turned cold and he felt like the other was going somewhere very far away. Away from him, the team, everything. A feeling of dread crept onto him. To his surprise, the other smiled when he looked up.

"You know, I keep telling you what to forget and what to remember... what to want and what to do... It's pretty selfish, now that you think about it, right?"

"You are pretty selfish." Fffffffffffuck. He wasn't supposed to say that. He bit his bottom lip as he cursed himself in his mind. He just hoped her hadn't just totally fucked um the situation. The Senior was quiet for a few moments, the silence almost suffocating him. He just stared at his folded hand in his lap as he waited for the other to speak again.

"Hey." He looked up at the other, surprised to see determination burning in his eyes. "Since I'm already being selfish, I want you to do one last thing for me."

_I don't like the sound of last, _the boy thought, a little sadly but he nodded anyway. If this really was the last thing he ever asked of him, then he had to do it, no matter what. Even if it meant the end for their friendship, he just had to.

"You don't have to forgive me... but please, just forgive everything else." He felt tears prickling at the back of his eyes, but he refused to let them out. He just promised he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't break that promise that soon. Especially if he didn't even know why he felt so incredibly sad at the moment.

"Please, Shinji... Just tell me what's going on. I-I don't understand what you're saying..." he begged, his voice breaking half-way through. The other teen twitched a little when he saw that face full of despair but was able to keep his composure. He smiled sadly and looked down at his hands.

"...You will understand soon enough. I... just want it to stay this way for a little longer... Just... normal." Minato still didn't like the sound of all that but nodded once again. He still didn't understand what he meant but one thing was clear: He just had to fulfill his wish.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hierophant Arcana!"**_

"...Damn, is it already that late?" And just like that, all the tension vanished. "Ugh, I forgot I don't have my watch." The bluenette tilted his head to the side.

"Your watch?"

"Yeah, I lost it somewhere. It was an old and rusty... pocket watch. I got it from someone a while ago... Damn it..." The boy watched him for a few moments. The watch must have been very important to him if he was that upset to have lost it. Maybe if he found the watch, Shinji would be happy. Maybe if he found it, Shinji wouldn't have to say things like 'last time' and 'regrets' and 'doubts' anymore. Maybe if he found it, Shinji won't leave.

"So got anything else? I want to hear what you have to say. You sure as hell got some more stories up your sleeve, right?" Minato smiled.

"Well, a little while ago, I had to teach Hamuko how to make Omurice..."

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"_You don't have much time anymore."_

"_What is he talking about?"_

"_That's bullshit!"_

"_Listen to your body, you know it's true."_

"_What does he mean...? You're going to die...? No matter what I do? Th-That not fair!"_

"_The cause of death is of no importance. Besides, the breath of life is faint in you as well, my boy. After you killed him, you wanted to join him, isn't that so?"_

"_..."_

"_Ken, what is he talking about?"_

"_Since you are both destined to perish, please allow me to do the honors. A little change in timing should not matter to much."_

"_Tch! Go to hell!"_

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Minato cried as he clutched his sheets, bathed in sweat. He took a quick look around the room to make sure he was safe before relaxing his muscles again. He turned his head to look at his clock. 2 AM. He sighed and turned his face back to the wall. He didn't see anything, but the sounds alone were enough to know what had happened. Those voices... They had undoubtedly belonged to Ken and Shinji. He wasn't sure about the third person, though. But he wasn't in the mood to think about them. The last thing he heard was... He swallowed as it replayed in his mind. It was a gunshot. He had heard enough guns going off with Aigis now on the team, so he knew how it sounded. So, was it the same vision as before? Was Shinji going to die? The boy swallowed once again as he turned his bed again. No, he wouldn't let that happen. Can't, won't. He quickly snapped his eyes closed.

He doubted he would get any sleep anymore.

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

Phew! First time I ever beat the 5k mark in one chapter, people!

The part with the typhoon came surprisingly easily, as did the part with Shinji in the middle. I'm actually not allowed to write anything sad or depressing anymore since my psychologist (my best friend, lol) told me it was a mechanism for me to suppress my feelings and problems.

But shhhhhhhhh, this is all between us, right? ;)

**Please review or the cookie monster will attack you!**

Your Shadow!


	39. Chapter 39: The lost pocketwatch

Once again, I have no excuse this time. I'm just sorry that it took so long to get this chapter to you and I hope you enjoy it.

**Edit: **i love french vanilla pointed out that I forgot to mention Minato's scars for a while. To be honest, I totally forgot about that. But now that I think about it, the team knows of them of course (they change together and Minato get hurts often enough that they don't ask any questions anymore) and they didn't talk with that many people. They probably didn't see him from behind or didn't mention it since it looks like a painful memory. Hope this answers your question!

Minato was right, he didn't get much sleep after that. In fact, he didn't really sleep at all for the last week. He knew that his exhaustion was obvious, the concerned looks from Yukari and Fuuka told him everything. He knew that it was getting into his way, not only in school but also in Tartarus. Mitsuru had already pulled him off to side more than once but he was far too panicked to listen to her.

It wasn't long until the next full moon and he had absolutely no idea what to do.

It wasn't like he didn't know what would happen, his visions showed him enough to know. It was more like he had no idea how to prevent it. He knew it would happen during the full moon, it would be somewhere on Port Island and Shinjiro would be...

The boy quickly shook his head as he walked down the streets of the Paulownian Mall. No, he wouldn't let it get that far. He won't let it get that far. But what could he do? The truth, maybe? If he could get just one of them to believe him, then... No, the only reason Shinji believed him was because he has an open mind for stuff like that. It was not like anyone would believe him if he told them that he could see the future. No, they would just think he was crazy and ignore him.

So what was left? He couldn't stop the incident from happening, apparently. Wasn't there any way to at least help the older Persona-user...?

Too engrossed in his thoughts, the weight on his chest was the only thing that brought him back to reality. He looked down to see a young silver-haired boy sitting on the floor, rubbing his head in agony. His eyes widened.

"Souji?" The younger male looked up at him and a bright smile overcame his face.

"Oh, Senpai! Long time no see!" The middle-school student quickly got to his feet again as a soft smile played on his lips. The bluenette tried his best to return it but judging by the younger teen's reaction, it came out as an grimace. "Is something wrong?" He quickly shook his head and looked off to the side.

"No, not at all." Was it just him or did that make him seem just even more suspicious? Souji seemed to think the same as he just stared at him in disbelief before gently dragging the upperclassmen away from the street and into the Chagall Cafe. The Summoner first thought his companion would press him for details but was almost shocked to see him only staring. "What?" he asked cautiously but received no response. Even after they gave their orders, the boy just kept staring at him. He shifted in his seat and tried to distract himself but those unmoving silver orbs just wouldn't let him relax. After five minutes of being watched, the Persona-user let out a groan in defeat. "God! Fine, I will talk about it, just stop staring at me!"

The younger male smirked as he leaned back in his seat. Minato had the urge to just slaughter the boy right then and there.

"So? What's bothering you?" The elder was still glaring until he sighed and leaned forward in his seat.

"Well, there's this friend of mine." A silver eyebrow shot up as the boy tilted his head to the side.

"Is that so?" He didn't like the way his friend asked that question but ignored it.

"Well, he kinda has this condition... Man, I don't really know how to explain this..." He looked around for a moment, turning words around in his head. He noticed that the silverette was simply watching him. "So, he kinda... took some bad stuff for a while but he stopped a few months back." He waited for his friend to respond to that. When he received a nod, he continued. "So, he's been actually pretty happy the last few months but... he started acting strange lately."

"How so?"

"Um..." He stared at his lap for a few minutes, just thinking about how to place his feelings in words. "Just... I think it feels as if..." The younger boy patiently waited for him to finish. "Like... he'll die soon." he almost jumped out of his seat when the other slammed his hands on the table, staring at him with wide eyes.

"YOU'RE DYING?" he shouted from the top of his lungs, making almost everybody in the small cafe look at them. The Summoner was stunned for a few moments before pulling the teen back down into his seat.

"No, Souji, I'm not dying. I told, we're talking about a friend."

"B-But I thought this is one of those 'I have a friend'-moments when you're actually talking about yourself!"

"**We're talking about a friend." **He briefly wondered if his tone was a little too harsh but he quickly dismissed it as he saw the barely visible pout on his friend's lips. "Anyway, I think he might die soon and I have no idea how to stop it." The middle-school student raised an eyebrow.

"So you know how he will die?"

"I have a theory." The silverette took a deep breath and thought for a moment. When he finally made a decision, he nodded.

"Well, if you can't stop it, why not make his remaining time as pleasant as possible?" Minato wondered what exactly he meant with that. He was about to ask when Souji just talked on. "I mean, if he dies anyway, he should go without any regrets and happy, right? At least, that's what I would want if I were to have a death sentence."

"Make the time he has as pleasant as possible..." The bluenette cupped his chin in thought before nodding. "Alright, thanks. I will do that." After finishing and parting ways with the boy, Minato made his way to the backstreet near the mall. Shinji's pocket watch should be there, after all.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Minato measured the ingredients for the sugar cookies as Fuuka diligently took notes. The girl had asked to let her watch him which he happily agreed to. The whole time he cooked, she made small noises of wonder and amazement. Once he was done, she just stared at him in awe.

"Wow... You even washed the utensils while you were working! It was like you hand extra hands or something... Oh! I should write that down too!" She quickly grabbed her notebook again and scribbled on it while muttering, "Minato-kun has many hands...", earning a chuckle from the boy. Minato leaned over her shoulder and looked at the page. It was filled with small letters and notes, detailing every little step he did. Before he could read any more, the greenette pulled it to her chest. "It's a little embarrassing to show this." The Summoner tilted his head to the side.

"Why?" She blushed and shifted on her feet.

"Well... I think it's a little silly. I wrote down every little detail, since I'm good at observing and analyzing. I thought it might help me if I try to approach cooking from an angle that I know well." She looked at her feet and smiled. "Until now, I only said that I would try harder, but I never actually but any thought into it. That's why I won't attack everything with that mindset anymore. From now on, I will try to find ways so that I can do things that I'm not good at. Once I started thinking like that, it felt much better and I began to enjoy the things that I was doing." A soft smile played on her lips as she looked up again. "I needed to understand the situation instead of being overwhelmed by trying to do my best. So by taking notes, I'll be more likely to succeed." She paused and gripped her notebook tighter.

"I wasn't able to accept my bad parts for a long time. But you, you saw all my flaws while we were here, cooking together. And you always encouraged me, even when I messed up really badly. That's why... I should also try to like myself for who I am." She gave him another smile which he gladly returned.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Priestess Arcana!"**_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Minato sighed as he leaned against the wall, exhausted. He had been searching for the watch again and even after several days unable to find it. He bit his thump in frustration. The watch couldn't just vanish; it had to be somewhere. Just where? This was the only thing he could do for Shinji, so why was he failing so much?

"Hey, kid. don't chomp your thump off." The boy snapped his head up and stared at who was approaching him.

"Kurosawa-san." he quickly stepped from the wall and gave the officer a small bow in greeting.

"Everybody is nervous once in a while but you shouldn't chew on your fingers." The bluenette sheepishly shifted on his feet.

"Yeah, it's a habit of mine."

"It's a bad habit. Try to get rid of it." The teen nodded and the man's face softened. "Never thought I would see you in this kind of place, Arisato. I hope your not hanging out with the wrong crowd. Mitsuru certainly wouldn't like that."

"Oh. No, I'm not, I promise. I was searching for something." Kurosawa just kept on staring at him. It was slightly unsettling.

"And what would that be?"

"...A pocket watch." He felt oddly embarrassed admitting it out loud. He heard the older male humming in response.

"A pocket watch, huh? As it so happens, I have just found one." He looked up at him, his eyes wide. Did he just hear that right? "It was close to the police station, lying on the floor." He pulled the clock out of his breast pocket. It was old, rusty and had some dents here and there, but it was without a doubt the watch that Shinjiro was talking about. "Today has to be your lucky day. If you had asked any later, I would probably have sold it to someone else." A moment of silence passed between them as Minato just stared at the man with a raised eyebrow. "I'm joking." The boy nodded, not really believing him. He gladly took the clock and practically flew back to the dorm. He finally found what he was looking for, now he just had to give it to his friend.

The moment he burst open the dorm doors, all eyes were directed at him. Even Koromaru stopped eating to look at him. But he noticed none of that. He quickly walked up to Shinji who was standing in the back of the lounge as usual. He was practically skipping by now.

"Shinji! Shinji! Look!" he cried like a small child. The taller teen looked at him with a confused look. The bluenette quickly held out the pocket watch, making his companion's eyes widen.

"That's...!" he seemed at a loss of words for a moment. He then took the Summoner's shoulder and led him to the entrance. "Just come with me for a sec, okay?" Not really understanding the situation, the boy just nodded and let himself be dragged away. After a silent walk, they reached the Naganaki shrine. The Senior just stood there for a few moments before looking at him. "Where did you find this?"

"Officer Kurosawa found it near the police station. He gave it to me when I asked about it."

"I see..." He looks down at his hand holding the clock. "I thought I would be fine if I never saw this again... I just didn't think you of all people would be the person to bring it to me." He sighed and ran his hand through his unruly hair. "Look, it's not really paying you back, but I want you to have this." He handed the underclassman a wrist watch. It looked rather plain with its brown leather stripes and silver clockwork, but it had its own charm. The boy looked up at his Senpai, confused. "I thought you might need one since you're always late and all." The smaller male blushed.

"Hey! I do have a wrist watch!" He looked down again, his cheeks getting even more red. "I just lost it a while ago."

"All the more reason for you to have it, isn't it?" he said with a small laugh. Minato just glared at him for a few moments before looking of to the side. They stood comfortable silence before the taller man spoke up again.

"Hey, keep an eye on Aki, will you?" He stared the older male. "He's an idiot. Remember when I told you about our first fight?" He couldn't, but he nodded anyway. "It was because I stole a doll from a toy shop. Aki's sister wasn't able to make any friends, so I stole it, thinking it would make her happy. When he found about it, he beat the crap out of me. He was crying the whole time." A sad smile played on his lips. "Later, we went back to the store to return it and to apologize. The owner smacked us both." He chuckled as if the memory was very dear to him. "He hasn't changed at all from back then. He's still stupid, proud, kind... and a gigantic crybaby. That's why he needs someone by his side to watch over him." Minato was stunned for a moment before fumbling with the watch in his hands, looking at the sky as if his response was written in the stars above them.

"Um... Well, I will- No, I mean, the team and I will stay by his side."

"Come on, kid. Your feelings for him are no real secret. Your crush is rather cute, actually." The bluenette just stared at him in shock, making him smirk a little. The younger teen still hadn't recovered from his shock to reply. "Though I have to admit, you really are subtle about it, someone who is actually watching can figure it out. I keep wondering how your overprotective sister hasn't slaughtered him yet. Then again, he's too much of an idiot to kill."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" the Summoner said after he found his voice again. His face was still scarlet. "I have no such feelings for Senpai! I only see him as a friend! Only as that and nothing more!"

"Oh, really? The way you talk about him, how you always look a little pink when he's around and not on a mission, how disappointed you were when he didn't talk you; all of this point to you having a crush on him. It was actually pretty obvious once you realize it." He watched as the boy looked at his feet again, the tip of his ears turning pink. "Hey, this is nothing to be so embarrassed about. Having a crush is not bad." The teen shook his head, his blue hair swirling around his face.

"You don't get it! It IS embarrassing! I don't even know if I really have a crush on him!" The older Persona-user raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? How do not know?"

"I don't know how it feels to like someone. Well, I mean, I know how it feels when you like someone, but not _**like**_-like someone." He sighed and ruffled his hair. "All I know that I'm happy when I'm with him and that I don't want to see him in pain. I feel my heart beat faster whenever he comes to close or when he's holding me. My face heats up when he touches me for a little too long and I can't stop blushing after that. I get this weird feeling in the gut when some of his fangirls are getting too friendly with him and bother him. I'm not... really sure what to make out of that." Shinji just watched him for a moment before smacking him on his forehead.

"Man, they weren't kidding. You really are dense when it comes to feelings." He wanted to protest but the taller boy was already talking again. "Whatever, I will be counting on you to look out for him, got it? All of you."

The world turned gray as some kind of angel's choir sung. The card of the Hierophant was floating in front of him as a voice spoke to him.

"_**Thou Art I... And I am Thou...**_

_**Thou hast established a bond that cannot be broken...**_

_**The innermost power of the Hierophant Arcana hath been set free...**_

_**We bestow upon thee the power to summon Kohryu**_

_**The ultimate form of the Hierophant Arcana."**_

"Hey, can we stay here a little longer? I kind of like it here." Minato just shrugged with a small smile on his face. The upperclassman returned the gesture and sat down a bank. "Hey, aren't you cold?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You're still wearing the school uniform." The boy looked down at his thin button-up shirt and dark pants. He shrugged again.

"Nah, I'm fine." The brunette chuckled and pulled the boy beside him, wrapping his arm around him.

"Yeah, right. I totally saw you shivering just now."

"Did not."

"Did too."

They kept on chatting deep into the night, just sitting there. It was oddly calming and even with the impending doom, they couldn't bring themselves to care at the moment.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

10/4/2009 Saturday – Evening **Minato's room**

The teen looked at the Evoker in his hand, turning it around a bit. It was the full moon tonight and he still didn't know what to do about Shinji. Sure, he spend a lot of time with him the last few days, but it wasn't like he could stop his death now. He made sure to get new demons that could help him in his fight against the Arcana Shadows but he doubted it would be enough to save him. He was tempted to just skip the battle and follow the older Persona-user but he couldn't just abandon his team.

He sighed as he fell onto his back. They didn't even know what exactly they were up against so he had to be there in case anything happened. He had an obligation, after all. He looked up when he heard his door open. He immediately sat up, confused.

"Hamuko? What are you doing here?"

The girl smiled at him, closed the door and walked up to the bed. Her brother just kept on watching her with wide eyes.

"No, seriously, what are you doing here? You don't normally come to my room." His twin just kept on smiling while staring into space. After another few minutes of silence, the boy turned his gaze back to the gun in his hands. It wouldn't be long until he had to use it to defeat the enemy.

"Are you nervous?" He looked up again and just stared at her. When he didn't answer, she frowned. "Yeah, I guess fighting for the life of a whole city is not something you just get used to." She looked him over again, then turned back to staring at the door. "Hey, is something bothering you?" He just blinked at her, not getting what she meant. She watched him in the corner of her eyes before letting out a frustrated sigh. Without a warning, she gave him a hard punch to his shoulder.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"For being an idiot!"

The boy was even more confused now and kept on staring at his sister. The red-head just sulked for a little longer before falling on her back with a big sigh.

"Seriously now, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don't fuck with me. I know you're weird and all but you've been acting off beat for a while now. If you're not going to tell me what's troubling you, I will force you." Even if she was now much shorter than him and looked kind of adorable lying on her back like that, the threat was enough to make a shiver run down the boy's spine. He fidgeted with his hands for a moment before sighing.

"I'm not really sure how to explain it. It's rather complicated."

"Go on, we have time."

He raised an eyebrow at that, because really, they didn't have the time, but just shook his head. It wasn't unusual for her to make comments like that.

"Just... there's something big going on soon and I don't know what to do about it."

"Well, do you have to do something?" she asked, her face looking slightly bored. The boy guessed it was something like routine for her.

"No, not exactly. But I really want to do something since..." He trailed of for a moment, making Hamuko look at him again. He continued once he found the right words. "A friend of mine is having a conflict you could say. I know I could help them but I just don't know how."

"Did that friend ask you for help?" That made Minato chuckle, even if he upset his sister with it, he couldn't help it. The thought of Shinjiro actually asking someone for help in private stuff was just too surreal for him.

"No. No, not at all," he said after he caught his breath again. His body was still shaking a little from laughter. "Actually, they pretty much said that I should stay out of their business." He didn't actually _say _that, but it was obvious that the Senior didn't want the bluenette to have any part in what was going on. His twin hummed beside him before tapping his leg.

"If they don't want you to help, then you should probably leave them be. Even if you come up with a way to help, it would only seem pushy and bossy to them." There was a bitter tone in her voice, like she was talking from experience. Her brother briefly wondered how many times she must have made that mistake to sound so mad about it.

"Well, they are actually the kind of person that would never ask if they ever needed help. Don't you think that being pushy is sometimes better than making someone important to you a decision they would regret their whole life?" Hamuko sat up on the bed again and stared at him for a few moments, not sure what to say. She looked like she wanted to ask for more information but then quickly decided against it. With another sigh she fell back onto her back.

"Well, even if they are being dumb, you just have to bear with them, don't you? It's not like they will die because of it." He flinched before he could stop it. He froze and clenched his eyes shut, hoping his sister hadn't noticed. But being the way she was, she noticed immediately. She sat up again, frowning. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice a little shaky. "It's true, isn't it? They won't die, will they?" Only silence greeted her and she stared down onto her lap. "Wow... That's... I'm not sure what to say..."

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything," he quickly said, cursing himself for letting it slip. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

They just sat there for a while, the air being more awkward than it had been in a long time. After what felt like an eternity, the girl took her brother's hand.

"Look, I have no idea what's happening and I won't ask if you don't want me to, but don't ever feel sorry about telling me something. We're family, we're supposed to tell each other stuff."

"Hamuko..."

"I know I haven't really been a good sister all those years, but let's make amends, okay?" She turned to him with a somewhat sad smile. "With all that's happened with us, we're really the only thing left of our family after all."

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Sun Arcana!"**_

She stood up and walked over to the table where Minato's guitar was resting. She smiled at it for a moment before picking it up and holding it out to her twin.

"Since we need to stay up anyway, how about we make some music together? You know, you play and I sing?" The bluenette smiled at her and nodded.

Does the end seem kind of rushed. Indeed it does!

I think my writing is getting worse lately.

I still hope you like it.


	40. Chapter 40: A Tragedy

"Alright, here it is..." Fuuka murmured as she concentrated on the Shadows. A few minutes passed before her eyes snapped open again. "Alright, it's at the plaza at Iwatodai station!"

"The tenth..." Hamuko whispered under her breath as her clutch on her sword grew tighter.

"Only a few to go." Ikutsuki wrapped his arms around his chest and smiled. "They do seem to get stronger every time we fight them, but let's worry about the others one at a time." Yukari giggled.

"Assuming they come at a time. Just kidding!" she said with a big smile on her face. Fuuka gasped.

"How did you know, Yukari-chan? I sense two of them!"

"What? Seriously?" The girl took a step back and shook her head. "Ugh... Me and my big mouth..." Minato ignored her comment and looked around the room for a moment. He turned to Akihiko in mild wonder.

"Where's Shinji?" he asked, making the older male make a head count, too. He looked back down to the Junior and shrugged.

"I don't know. But it's a good question." He walked over to Fuuka, who was still inside Lucia's womb. "Hey, Yamagishi. Do you you know where Shinji is?"

"He told me that he will be late. But he promised that he would meet up with us later. I didn't ask any questions," she answered, her voice much more confident and clearer than usual. The silverette cocked his head in surprise but showed no other sign of emotion.

"Seriously? We have an important battle tonight and he decides to play hookey now? Well, he's always played by his own rules, I guess..."

"Come on, at least he's coming, right?" Junpei asked with a big grin on his face. Minato fidgeted with his sleeves for a bit.

"Yeah, coming..."

"We should get going." The boy almost jumped out of his skin when he heard his sister speak. She had been so quiet all the time, he had almost forgotten she was sitting at the table. The girl tugged the katana under her belt and watched her team mates, waiting for them to make a move. Slowly but surely, the team got ready themselves and started their walk to the station. None of them talked on their way, all too tense with determination and fear of their next opponent. The bluenette in the group, on the other hand, was tense for a very different reason.

Shinji was skipping the operation. He just had to. Ken wasn't there, either, so he must have called him out to meet him. It was just like in the vision.

What if it happened right now? What if they are killed while they are fighting the Shadow? And if it happened later in the Dark Hour, would they finish soon enough for him to get there on time? What if he made some kind of mistake while they fought and it would be all his fault that Shinji dies? What if he was not enough to save him?

He quickly shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts. There's no use thinking about stuff like that! He had to concentrate on the battle before him and make sure that he would be on time! He won't get anywhere without some kind of work, after all!

They soon reached the station and looked over to the plaza where the Shadows were waiting for them. Their looming bodies were smaller than the others they had fought but Minato knew better than to underestimate something because of its size. Yukari looked around for a moment before gasping.

"Wait! That's the way we take to get to school! We have to protect this place, no matter what!" He resisted the urge to point out how the location of the fight changed nothing of its relevance and how slow she was to pick that up and turned to his sister who was laying out the battle plan. Apparently he is going to stay at the back again and try to weaken the Shadow with his spells together with Yukari. He looked at the girl for a moment before checking up at the cards hanging from his belt.

Good, seems like he will be able to summon them this time.

The team got one last check up from Fuuka before they finally walked up to the foes. One of them looked like a pretty woman with long standing on a floating flower patch, petals flying around her. The other Shadow seemed more like an animal, metallic legs and wings flapping as it jumped from one spot to the other.

"_I'll keep you informed! Be careful ,everyone!"_Fuuka shouted over their mind link as the group moved in to battle. The floating Shadow let out a sigh and lifted its staff high. Petals appeared out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around the smaller enemy, shrouding it in a weird pink light. _"I can't feel the Fortune one anymore! The Strength one must be covering it with some kind of spell!"_

"Woah, what?" Junpei shook his head, obviously not understanding what was going on. "Fuuka, just what the hell are you talking about?"

"_The lion! I can't feel the lion anymore! That woman must have done something to hide its presence!" _Minato looked at the Shadow again and tilted his head to the side. He may go off topic here, but that didn't look like a lion to him. It seemed more like a dog or something. _"Anyway. You can't attack it right now! Just attack the Strength one!"_

"Alright, we need an analysis as soon as possible," Hamuko said in her leader voice. She received an affirmative from the other girl and commenced attacking. The red-head moved up front to hit the Shadow directly with her sword and Eurydice. Akihiko, Junpei and Mitsuru were closed behind her, their Evokers already in their hands. Minato looked beside him to see Yukari summoning Io and Aigis standing uncomfortably close to him, shooting bullets. The boy wasted no second to summon his own Persona and cast Matarukaja on his friends. It was a lot less strong than he wanted it to be, but it had to do for now.

He was about to cast a fire spell when he heard obnoxious metal rattling not far from him. Turning around, he saw that the Fortune Arcana was jumping around even more than before the battle. With a final spin, it flew into the air, landing right in front of his sister. The girl had no time to react before she was engulfed in a bright light and vanished. Moments later she appeared at the side of the battle, caged inside a globe of light. She looked around before pounding onto the walls for a few times before slashing it with her sword.

No effect.

Another chain of clicking made her look around to see the Fortune standing on a roulette, turning and turning as the color beneath the needle continuously changed from blue to red. She just stared at it for a few moments before shouting at it to stop. The spinning slowed and with a final click the plate stopped at a blue field with big yellow stars on it. A loud screech made her look back to her team which was still fighting the Strength Arcana. The Shadow stumbled enough for Junpei to give it a strong slash with his sword, making it fall to the ground. She tried to tell them to do an All-Out attack but they showed no signs of acknowledgment. Yukari was still staring at where she was trapped and turned to the bluenette beside her.

"She can't get out! What should we do?" The boy thought for a moment before looking over to the others that were, while still fighting, seemed to be a lot less coordinated than before. He gripped his knives tighter as he made an decision.

"Alright, everybody! Junpei, keep hitting it! Kirijou-Senpai, pull back and use your ice spells instead! Akihiko-Senpai, try to keep the Shadows defense low! If we keep moving at this speed, it won't be too long before it's down!" The team just stared at him and for a moment he was afraid they would not listen to him. Fortunately they understood and swiftly followed his orders. Mitsuru stepped out of harms way from the enemy and summoned Penthesilea. Akihiko gave the Strength a Rakunda spell and Junpei did as he did before. Yukari and Aigis looked at him for instructions and he told them to just continue as they did before. The girl and robot nodded and did as they were told.

Good, it was going well. He looked over to where his sister was trapped and was relieved to not see her hurt. The Fortune Arcana was spinning on its wheel again but he paid no mind to it. Whatever it was doing, it wouldn't be important.

At least that's what he thought until he felt a hot wave wash over him. The heat took over his head and it was as if the dizziness was enough to knock him out. Before he knew it, hi8s feet were carrying him toward the enemy as he hit it with one of his knives. Unsurprisingly, it did not cause much damage. He could faintly hear the others marching up to fight the Shadow with physical attacks, too. He felt a weird buzzing at the back of his skull but he ignored it. For some reason, attacking the enemy had a higher priority at the moment. He moved back to give it another hit when the throbbing grew heavier as he fell to his knees.

"_Minato-kun! Minato-kun! Can you hear me? Snap out of it!"_

That voice... He knew it... It was of a person he knew very well...

"Fuuka...?" he groaned, rubbing his head. He heard a relieved sigh over the mental link.

"_Thank goodness! I thought everything was over!" _Minato looked around for moment, not really understanding what just happened. _"You were hit with a spell that causes Anger! It seems that the Fortune uses that wheel to play a game with Hamuko-chan. She tells it to stop and wherever the needle stops something happens. Blue is good for us and red is us being hindered or hurt. I just hope that it won't happen again."_

"I guess we just have to depend on Hamuko's luck for that." He reached into the bag he wore on his bag and pulled out a bottle out of it with 'Amrita Soda' written on the etiquette. "So, what exactly do I do with this? Should I make the others drink it or should I just- Oh, there we go." He opened it and a bright white light shot out as he felt the liquid prickle down his hand. The light shot up high into the sky before falling and letting a spark fall on each of the SEES members. The light lingered for a few moments as Fuuka contacted again.

"_Sorry it took so long. Alright, the Strength doesn't have any weaknesses but don't use Mudo or Hama spells on it! It will just nullify them."_

"Alright, thanks." He looked around the other teens and smiled when they returned to their respective posts to fight. Maybe this won't won't be too bad. Maybe this time there won't be any freak accidents, no super strong attacks, no one getting seriously hurt-

The Strength raised its staff as a bright light came out of it, wrapping itself around the Shadow.

Oh, why did the world just hate him so much.

"_It just used Power Charge! I think it's planning to attack you all at once!"_ Fuuka shouted at him. He let out a strangled cry.

Oh come on, did he have a sign with 'Ruin his day' written on it?

Alright, he had to think. The Shadow wanted to hit the entire team. While most of them should be alright, he doubted that they would be able to fight properly after that. He could tell them to try and dodge it but he knew from experience that it probably wouldn't work. So what was left?

He felt something a soft humming coming from his hip and looked down at it. Of course, why hadn't he thought about it before?

"Everybody, get over here!" he shouted at his friends, who only stared at him in response. He rolled his eyes and just called out to them again. Soon they were all gathered around him and he pulled out a card. If Fuuka was right, it should attack soon. And if Igor had told him the truth, he would only be able to keep him there for a few seconds, a minute at most.

He raised the card up to his eye level.

He just hoped this worked.

"**Kohryu!"**

The gigantic dragon appeared just in time to take the brunt of the attack of the Strength. It let out a small grunt, but otherwise showed no sign of being hurt. It slightly turned his head to give a nod to the Summoner before disappearing again. The bluenette stumbled for a moment but caught himself before he hit the ground. He looked at his friends.

"Alright, go back to your positions. We still have to take it down."

The team soon returned to fighting the Shadow again, only occasionally interrupted by the little tricks of the Fortune Arcana. After only a few more minutes, the Strength was gone and the shield around the smaller foe vanished. Hamuko sighed in relief when she was freed from her cage and joined the other in the fight. The Shadow gave a chain of unpleasant clicking noises before jumping into the air again. It returned with the roulette falling below it, but this time red was almost covering the whole plate.

"_That's cheating!" _Fuuka gasped as they readied themselves to get hit. The red-head waited for a few moments.

"Stop!" she finally shouted and the spinning slowed. Soon the whole thing halted and SEES let out a sigh of relief.

It had stopped on blue.

The Fortune shivered as Yukari shot an arrow at it. It must have gotten the Fear status.

Fear...

Right, of course!

"It's over!" he shouted as he summoned Mot who then cast Ghastly Wail on the Shadow. It immediately let out a cry of anguish and turned into a cloud of black smoke. A few moments of stillness passed before the team let out cries of joy. Fuuka ran up to them, a smile on her face.

"Good job, everyone!" The others returned her smile. Junpei rolled his shoulders, wincing.

"Finally done! Man, talk about exhausting!"

Aigis turned her blank stare at him before saying, "This time, the ones calling themselves Strega have not tried to interfere."

"Probably because we have Chidori. I'm glad everything went down smoothly, though," Yukari said with a small smile. He put away her bow and sighed. "I wonder where Aragaki-Senpai and Amada-kun, though."

"Fuuka hasn't been able to locate them yet. We better get back to the dorm and think about what to do then," Hamuko said with a sigh. Minato thought for a moment. They had finished quite quickly and there was still plenty time left before the Dark Hour ended. Maybe if he slipped away now...

"Um, why don't you go ahead without me? I want to search for them, just to make sure they are alright." His teammates just stared at him for a while, some shocked, but most of them just looked confused of his reasons. "Well, I'm worried. They missed the operation, what would be more important than that."

"If Minato-san is permitted to go, I wish to accompany him," Aigis said in her monotonous voice. Akihiko walked up behind her and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"How about I go with him, Aigis?" When the robot opened her mouth to disagree, he continued, "If you two were to be out outside of the Dark Hour, you would attract too much attention. I will make sure he's alright, don't worry." She looked like she wanted to say something but finally gave a small nod. All eyes then turned to their leader, who had just observed their conversation until then. He looked extremely thoughtful for a moment before nodding herself.

"Alright, I will leave this to you then." The teens gave an affirmative and turned to leave. "Wait." She glared at Akihiko before her eyes slightly softened. "Take care of him, will you?"

The silverette just stared at her for several long seconds but then nodded.

"Well, then." She turned back to the rest of the team. "We better get going then."

They didn't wait for them to leave before entering the station. The bluenette took that as a chance to speak.

"I think they might be on Port Island," he said, his voice a little hoarse from shouting orders at his friends. Man, being loud for a long while just wasn't his thing. The boxer looked at him, for once with an emotion he wasn't able to quite place.

"Why do you think that?" He fumbled for a moment. He couldn't just up and say that he saw it a vision. But he also couldn't just stand there.

"Well, they left together before the Dark Hour began, didn't they? They might have gone while the monorails were still running." He just kept on staring at him before nodding. They both walked through the doors leading to the station and jumped down onto the rails. Gulping, the bluenette looked up at his upperclassman. He seemed oddly serious about this. Sure, it was his best friend they were searching and he had always been rather protective of Ken, but wasn't he acting a little bit overblown?

"Together." Minato looked up at the Senior again and tilted his head to the side. "You said they left together. What gives you the idea?"

He paled at the question. What was he supposed to say to that? He couldn't just say that he saw them!

"Um... It's just an idea I had. I mean, they are both gone and not at the dorm, so... why shouldn't they have left together?" he said, hoping that the older male would buy it. The silverette stared at him for a few moments before speaking again.

"So Shinji... Didn't tell you anything?" The Summoner raised an eyebrow.

"Told me... what?" The boxer stopped and bit his lip. Minato leaned down to look at his face, not really surprised by the conflicted look he was seeing. Whatever he was thinking about, it must be really hurting.

"I think Shinji will kill me for telling you but... I think it's important for you to know so that if we see what I think we will see you don't blow up at Amada." He started walking again and the Junior followed. "You know that Amada is an orphan, right?" He nodded. "The death of his mother was listed as an accident, but in reality... it was us who killed her." Akihiko paused, letting the fact sink in for a moment. He looked down at the shorter teen to see him stare at him in shock, eyes wide.

Was that... the truth? So the reason why Shinji felt to uneasy and Akihiko was so against Ken joining was... because they had killed his mother? But why would they kill a human? It didn't make any sense!

The bluenette took a deep breath to calm down. They must have had a good reason to do it. Panicking now wouldn't help anyone. He signaled his companion to continue.

"It happened during a mission, back when SEES was newly formed. We were all still in middle school back then. A Shadow had escaped Tartarus and we chased after it. Shinji had just joined because he refused to leave me alone in a dorm with Mitsuru, but he didn't have all that much potential. When we arrived at the scene, Shinji lost control of his Persona and..." He stopped, not wanting to finish the sentence. Minato nodded in understanding and looked at the floor.

So it was an accident. But he could see why Shinji would beat himself up about it. Anyone would have. And how old was he when it happened? Fourteen? That was one of the things that he wished no one would have to live through.

"So you think... that Ken might have called him out to get revenge?"

"It's a possibility. Since they might be on Port Island, I think they might be at the back street at the station. That's where Amada's house used to be before the incident." So that's why he saw that place in his vision. Also, that one time that Ken got so weird after overhearing Akihiko and Shinji talk about something... It all made sense now. "Also..." He looked back up at the upperclassman, showing him he had his full attention. "Today is October fourth... The day it happened." he had a weird expression on his face, but Minato was finally able to place the feelings. It looked like pain, regret and... guilt? The boy frowned.

"You're feeling like you're at fault, aren't you?"

"I shouldn't have let them join. Neither Shinji back then not Ken now. If I had been stronger..."

"What would that have done? Knowing Shinji, I don't think he would have settled with a simple 'no'. And it was Ken's own decision to join, whatever his reasons may be. You couldn't have changed that." Only silence met him and he sighed. He looked back ahead and spotted the station in the distance. "We better hurry. Who knows what happens if we're too late." The other male nodded and together they started to run. After a few minutes, they had reached the artificial island without any trouble. They entered the streets and looked around, noticing all the coffins standing around them. Minato briefly wondered why so many people were out after midnight before he heard a cry in the night.

"_**No! Leave him alone! It's me, so leave him alone!"**_

The boy swirled around, looking at the direction it was coming from. That voice... It could only be...

"Ken," Akihiko said. They looked at each other in agreement and sprinted toward the back street. It took them longer than they would have wished but they eventually arrived.

The scene they saw was nothing what they had expected.

There was Shinji, standing in front of Ken with blood oozing out of his chest. Standing in front of him was Takaya, his gun raised and aimed at what was clearly Ken.

"_**Shinji!"**_

Minato didn't know who was the one shouting, but he didn't care. He hurt Shinji,_ he hurt Shinji,_ **he hurt Shinji. **Without thinking, he pulled out one of his knifes and threw it at Takaya, not really aiming. The man easily dodged, and clicked his tongue.

"And your comrades arrive... Is there any moment of joy that you do not interrupt? Well, until next time then..." He turned around and walked away. His blood boiling, the boy moved to run after him but a hand wrapped around his arm stopped him. He turned his head to glare at Akihiko as he struggled in his hold.

"Let me go!"

"Minato, calm down!"

"The fuck I will! He hurt Shinji! He's bleeding, he's_ dying_ and it's all that bastard's fault!"

"Look, we have to make sure Shinji's alright before we go after Takaya! You need to heal him!" The teen stopped moving and looked at his friend lying on the floor. He was still bleeding unhealthy amounts of blood while Ken was just sitting there, standing blankly at the Senior, tears in his eyes. Minato relaxed when the silverette let go of him and he slid to the floor and pulled out his Evoker. Within mere seconds, Orpheus was above him, giving him the strength to heal his friend. The brunette coughed up blood and looked at the boy sitting beside him.

"Hey... What's with the long face...? Isn't this what you wanted...?" Ken snapped out of his stupor, violently shaking his head and tears streaming down his face.

"No! No, I didn't want you to die!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "I just wanted to talk! I wanted to know why! I wanted to know the truth! I didn't want you to die!" The boy sniffed and looked as if he wanted to touch the older but was afraid to hurt him any further. A sad smile spread over Shinji's face.

"Hey, don't be like that... You still have your whole life ahead of ya... Don't waste it..." He turned to look at Akihiko who was just standing there, watching the scene. "Aki... Take care of them... Both of them..." The boxer nodded at him. He then looked at Minato and smiled. "Hey, you liar... You promised me not to cry..." His hands flew up to his face and sure enough, tears were falling from his face. "Don't worry, this is... how it is supposed to be..." The bluenette shook his head.

"Stop talking like that! It's not over yet! I won't let you die!" It was weird, his voice sounded like it belonged to someone else. Shinji just smiled at him and coughed again.

"H-Hospital... We have to bring him to the hospital!" he heard Fuuka cry. He hadn't even noticed that they had arrived.

"That's right!" Mitsuru answered and reached for her phone. She stilled. "But it's the Dark Hour... Until it ends, the doctors can't..."

"Does that mean he won't make it?"

"Of course he will!" he shouted at Yukari. "He will make it and he will live! And then I can punch him in the face for trying to die on me!" he knew he was upset at the moment and that he had no right to be shouting at the girl, but he didn't care. How did they dare to suggest that Shinji would die! He would live! He would live! He won't end like-

...like...?

He felt arms wrap around him and he didn't need to look to know who it was.

"We shouldn't just sit here and wait for something to happen. Kirijou-Senpai, go get your bike. Aigis, you accompany her. We will bring him to the hospital so that he can be treated as soon as possible," Hamuko ordered, rubbing circles on his stomach as she did so. The two complied and after only a a few minutes returned with the motorcycle. They helped her load him on and she rode away. The team just remained there for a few moments, not sure what to do, until Hamuko told them to go home. Minato felt himself being tugged away and they soon arrived at the dorm again. They said good night to each other and returned to their rooms. When Minato closed his door, he looked down at his hands. They were red. Even under the green light of the moon, he could see the blood staining his hands. He hadn't even noticed.

The boy walked up to his bed and sat down, still staring at his hands.

He was too late.

He wasn't able to save him.

He shook his head. No, Shinji was at the hospital. He could make it. He just had to be patient. He would be back in no time.

He flexed his fingers, watching the still slightly liquid blood spread over his hands.

What was this reminding him of..?

"_Mom! Dad!" he called, but they just smiled sadly at him. He pressed down at their wounds. He had seen it in movies before! He pressed down on the wounds and then everything would be alright! It had to be! "Please! Don't go away! Don't leave us alone!" His mother smiled again and stoked his cheek with her bloodied hand._

"_...Don't forget... That we love you, darling..." Her hand turned limp and fell to the ground. The boy just stared at her, not believing what just happened. He looked at his lifeless mother and then at his hands, stained with blood. His fisted them in his dark blue hair, not wanting to under stand._

_Minato cried. He cried louder than he would did or would in his entire life._

Well, this is it. Sorry it took so long, but you know. Me and fighting scenes.

Anyway, I have now Summer Vacation! Woohoo! Let's hope that my extreme amount of free time and lack of warm weather will help me write more regularly.

Hope you liked it!


	41. Chapter 41: Resolution

The next morning, Minato had barely noticed that his alarm clock had gone off. He just lay there for a good quarter hour before Aigis started knocking on his door.

"Minato-san. It is time for you to wake up if you wish to reach the institution called school on time." He waited for a few moments before sliding out of his bed and getting ready. When he opened the door, the robot just stood in front of him for a few seconds. When she finally stepped aside, the boy just listlessly walked past her and down the stairs. He emerged into the common area where the rest of the team was waiting for them. Fuuka gave him a tired smile.

"Good morning, Minato-kun." He nodded at her and grabbed some toast. Yukari walked up to him, looking as if she wanted to say something but then decided against it. He didn't particularly mind, though, since he wasn't really feeling like talking. He picked up bag again and walked over to the exit. "Ah, Minato-kun!" He turned his head to look at the greenette again. "Aragaki-Senpai is in stable condition right now, although he doesn't show any signs of waking up yet. I, um... just wanted to let you know." He nodded at her and pushed the door open. He was thankful that no one followed him for once and started his way to the station. It was rather sunny today unlike those cloudy days they had had the last few weeks but it didn't exactly lift his mood. The contrary, actually, it only made him even more grim.

Just walking down the streets, the boy started to wonder if he should even go to school today. Since most people didn't know what happened to Shinji, his classmates would surely be happy and carefree as usual and he was really not in the mood for any of that. The teen looked up to see that he had arrived at the station. He noted that it had taken him unusually little time to reach it today but he guessed if you are deep in thoughts, time just tends to fly by. He looked around him and watched the other students walk past him, all smiling in various degrees and chatting with their friends. He swiftly turned on his heels and walked away again. Today was really not the day to be dealing with a lot of laughter.

He just wandered the streets for a while, not really sure where to go. He had never skipped a school day before, so he didn't know what he should do on a day like that. Most students might go to Port Island or eat until they're full at Wild-Duck Burger. It did seem logical since all the other students were at school and there were less people, but Minato didn't really feel like that, either.

A shiver ran down his spine a cool wind blew over him, letting the chilly air creep into his clothes. With a small sniff, he buttoned up his jacket and buried his hands in his pockets. Sunny and cold; what a weird day it was. He just kept on strolling, making sure to take the less occupied streets. After some time he saw familiar red wooden bars standing in the distance and he walked to enter the shrine. Unsurprisingly, there were no people around and the bluenette took a seat at the bench next to the playground.

Something next to his hand vibrated and he took out his phone and read the message.

_Where the hell are you?_

From his sister. No surprise there, either.

With a sigh, he shut down his phone and stuffed it into his bag at his feet. He knew the shrine wasn't exactly the best hiding place considering he visited it fairly often bur he wasn't too concerned. Classes would start soon and as a role model for her classmates, Hamuko would never just skip. She would have to wait until the end of school and by the time she gets to the shrine, her brother was probably somewhere else.

He leaned his head back and stared up to the blue sky above him. There was barely any sounds around him. Birds were no longer chirping due to the cold weather and only once in a while could he hear the falling leaves rustling from the wind. Blue eyes closed as he just let the atmosphere wash over for a while.

Shinji was stable.

He won't die.

He opened his eyes again and let his chin fall to his chest. He had no reason to panic or be scared anymore. He would be alright. Even if he showed no signs of waking up now, this is Shinji they were talking about. He would pull through.

For some reason, the weight in his chest only grew heavier.

He lifted his hand and stopped just before his thump reached his lips. No, he promised to get rid of that habit. Instead, he just ran his hand through his hair.

Even if the brunet is alive now, he couldn't shake the feeling that this hadn't needed to happen. That if he had just found some way to completely prevent it from happening, Shinji wouldn't be hurt at all. If he hadn't been so scared of telling the others about his visions... He shook his head. No, he shouldn't think like that. What's done is done and even if he pondered about ways to prevent the tragedy, he couldn't change what had happened.

His thoughts wondered back to the words Shinjiro said just before he lost consciousness.

"_This is how it's supposed to be..."_

Even though he had been in obvious pain, he sounded so... at peace. Like he had no regrets dying like that. Well, he guessed dying protector someone could be considered a hero's death...

The teen looked down at his hands, flexing them a few times. He could still see the blood staining them. His eyes dulled for a moment.

That dream that he had last night...

Was that... what happened ten years ago...?

He slumped back against the bench again and sighed. He had no way of knowing that. He didn't remember anything that happened before he woke up in the hospital days after the accidents and even those memories were pretty fuzzy. Maybe he had forgotten them due to trauma, then? The sight of his parents bleeding to death right in front of did seem like a thing that a six-year-old wouldn't be able to handle. Maybe that's the reason he broke down back then.

But if that really were his memories of that night, where was his sister that whole time?

Closing his eyes, the boy tried his best to remember more of that night but to no avail. He sighed again and looked back up into the sky. There was not much he could do with his memories gone, so he should stop pocking inside his mind for now. Who knows, maybe they come back on their own like yesterday?

He looked at his wrist watch noted that it had been some hours already since he had left the dorm. With a huff, he got up to his feet again. He should probably find another place to hide in. Before he could think of anything, a loud growl echoed around the shrine. Minato blushed a little as he rubbed his stomach. Finding something to eat was probably more important for now.

After a very satisfying visit to the beef bowl place, the bluenette was about to leave the area again when he saw a familiar shock of silver hair. He stood and stared as Akihiko exited Hagakure Ramen and walked down the streets of Iwatodai.

Why the hell was he here? It was the middle of the day, shouldn't he be in school right now?

Then it crashed down on him. Of course. Akihiko was Shinji's best friend and the closest thing he had to a brother. What happened last night must have hit him pretty hard, it wouldn't be surprising if he didn't feel like dealing with his classmates either.

The teen looked up again just as the boxer was turning a corner, making him think for a moment. Should he follow? Akihiko was a reckless guy and to be perfectly honest, the boy was a little worried about him. Not only about what he would do when he was mad but also about the state of his mind. He may not be the best in comforting people and stuff, but he should at least stay close by in case anything happened. Keeping his distance from the Senior, he followed him around the city. It didn't really seem like he had any location in his mind until his steps seemed to grow more certain and before the Summoner knew it, they were walking down the streets leading up to the hospital.

Without really thinking, the boy followed him inside and watched him walk through the halls. They soon arrived at one of the emergency room. Inside lay Shinji, plugged onto countless of wires, the mechanical beeping and the slow rising of his chest the only signs that he was not dead.

Ignoring the "No visitors allowed" sign, the silverette stepped into the room and walked right up to the bed.

"Yo," he greeted with a small smile on his lips. "You look pretty good. So how much longer are you going to lie around sleeping there?" He waited a few seconds, as if waiting for an answer before carrying on. "I had the usual for lunch. Ramen tastes a lot better when you're skipping school. Invite me next time, got it?" His smile faltered a different emotion filled his face. "Say something, will ya...? Why do you always have to be so stubborn? Put yourself into my shoes once in a while." He let out a humorless laugh at looked at his unconscious friend again.

"You think it's the other way around, huh? I guess you're right... I was so obsessed with power... Ever since back when I lost Miki, I always thought that if I were only strong enough I could protect anyone." His shoulder started to shake as he stepped closer to Shinji. "Now look at you! In the end, I wasn't even able to protect you from being hurt! What should I do if I lose you too?!" he fell forward and collapsed onto the bed. His hands were frantically pulled at the sheets beneath him, tears staining his face. "You can hear me, right?! Snap out of it! Shinji!" Sobs shook his body as he just lay there, letting all his frustration and despair out.

Minato just watched him. Should he leave now? Obviously, it was an intimate moment for Akihiko and he didn't even know he was being watched. Nodding, the teen moved top turn away when the boxer got back to his feet again, wiping the tears fro his face.

"I know... Crying won't change anything." He stood up straight again, staring at Shinji with determination. "Alright, Shinji. You watch me from here. There are still some things I have to do."

It was only for a moment but he knew he had seen it. A blue light had flickered above him, taking the form of a slightly humanoid figure. The voice that was constantly with him breathed into his ear, whispering one name.

"Caesar..." he breathed and promptly clasped his hand over his mouth. Relieved that Akihiko didn't seem to have heard him, he walked out of the hospital and back to the dorm.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It wasn't really much of a surprise that his sister gave him a stern scolding to him about skipping school once they got back but after some soothing from Yukari and Fuuka, she decided to let it slip. They apparently had a meeting planned regarding what to do with Ken now that they had known his true intentions and to be honest, Minato was a little uncomfortable about the topic. Sure, Ken seemed to have wanted revenge but it was pretty clear to him that he had genuinely liked Shinji. Even if it wasn't all that obvious to others. It didn't take long for the other members of the team to arrive and soon everybody was gathered around the table in the lounge. Mitsuru raised from her seat and looked around the room before speaking.

"I think you all know the reason we are gathered here. We need to discuss how to deal with Amada. I have already consulted the chairman." She turned to their robotic teammate. "Aigis, bring Amada here." The blonde nodded and walked up the stairs. An uncomfortable silence spread over the team.

"It's all my fault..." Fuuka whispered beside Minato. "If I had just asked Aragaki-Senpai where he was going right then and there... If I had only listened to my intuition..."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Fuuka," Yukari said from her other side.

"It's not your fault. If anyone should have noticed, it should have been me." Mitsuru looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

"Why are you all acting like that?" Minato asked, all eyes turning to him. He shifted a little before saying what he thought. "You shouldn't dwell on the past. We can't change it, no matter how much we want to. And didn't you hear what he said? 'This is how its supposed to be.'"

"That's right, he is one hell of a guy. He even faced death head on." The bluenette was a little surprised how Akihiko just picked up where he left off and kept talking but just let him continue. "...That's why, from today on, I will face things head on, too." The team just stared in awe at him for some time. The moment was broken when Aigis stormed down the stairs.

"Allow me to report! Amada-san is not in his room!" They immediately jumped to their feet. All except for Akihiko. "There are indications that the window has been pried open." Alright, so he escaped through the window, but how had he done _that_? They lived on the first floor! How did an elementary student climb out of the window from the first floor and escaped?!

"No! Ken-kun!" Fuuka cried and ran to the door. Yukari quickly followed her and caught her by the arm.

"Wait! Fuuka-chan! Do you know where he is?!"

"Well, no... but we can't just leave him be, can we?!" she asked in return, her voice growing louder by the second. "I don't know where I should start but... He must be so lonely right now..."

Hamuko walked up to her and laid a hand on the Priestess' shoulder. "Look, I can understand that you're worried but we have to calm down first. If we go out now without a plan on what to do once we find him, it won't be any good to anybody." Fuuka looked shocked for a moment before speaking again.

"B-But... I thought you of all people should understand!" she shouted without thinking. She quickly caught herself though and shrunk back again. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"Let Amada do what he wants." The all swirled around to look at Akihiko, their faces all showing a certain degree of shock. "It's his life. Just like the rest of us, he has to decide what to do with it himself. Besides, we can't keep treating him like a child." Everyone was momentarily stunned at that, just staring at the boxer before walking away. After all, there was little they could actually do with not even having a hint of the location of the boy. Minato looked back over his shoulder to see Akihiko still sitting at his spot on the couch.

Last night, he had lost his best friend.

Today, he cried his heart out while standing above said friend.

Now, he was talking about living his life to its fullest and facing things head on.

He smiled as he started walking up the stairs again.

Akihiko was a really strong person.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

10/6/2009 Tuesday - After School **Home Economy Room**

"Minato-kun! Let's make this together!" Fuuka pulled out her notebook and showed him a recipe for a fruit filled cake. Minato noted that every step was described to the smallest detail. "Let's make a small one and take it to the dorm to eat!" The teen smiled and agreed. The two of them soon started getting to work, mixing and measuring ingredients. The bluenette could see how Fuuka was working beside him, trying her best not to mix up salt and sugar again. For some reason, it made him feel proud.

A few hours later, they had already finished. It was relatively small and it almost looked like it would fall over with all those fruits on top of it, but Fuuka seemed to be happy about it nonetheless.

"Let's take it back, then alright? Please meet me in my room." He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think I'm allowed to the girls' room, Fuuka-san."

"Oh, I don't think anyone will mind. You are special, after all." He briefly wondered what she meant with special but he shrugged it off, instead packing his things so that they could go home. Once they had arrived, they quickly put away their bags and got into her room, the girl taking out glasses for the drinks she had brought.

"Here's yours. It would be even better if we had candles... Well then, let's eat." She took a bite out of her piece and giggled. "Wow, this is delicious! I bet it taste just like the ones they sell at stores!" To be perfectly honest, the sponge cake was too hard and the cream was watery but seeing her being that happy after everything that happened, the Summoner didn't have the heart to tell her that. So he just kept on eating until there was nothing left. Putting the plates away, the Priestess smiled at him.

"I will never forget the taste of this cake we made together, Minato-kun. ...Thank you." Confused, the boy tilted his head to the side.

"Why are you thanking me?" He only got a giggle in response and silence reigned over them for a while. Then the greenette seemed to remember something.

"Oh right! There was another reason I wanted you to come to my room today!" She stood up and walked over to her desk, pulling something out of a drawer. She came up to him again and held it out to the boy. "I want you to have this." Not really understand why she did, he took it anyway. He stared at the thing in his hand for a few moments. Two round metal plates connected looked back up to him and he was little taken aback when he noticed they were head phones. "Remember when I told you that I was good with technology? I thought you would like these since you're always listening to music. I just wanted you to really enjoy them." She blushed a little then. "You're a precious friend of mine, after all."

He nodded and quickly replaced his old headphones with the ones Fuuka gave him. He picked a random song in his play list and took a listen. The difference was mind blowing. It was clear, not too loud and he almost felt like he was listening to the band playing live in front of him. He looked up at the girl, his eyes wide in awe.

"These are amazing! You really did this all by yourself? That's incredible!" She blushed some more, flustered.

"I-It's nothing special... Just a hobby of mine." Even as she said that, Minato could tell that she was very happy being praised like that. He smiled back at her.

Before he knew it, the world turned grey and the Priestess card was floating above him.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

"_**Thous hast established an unbreakable bond...**_

"_**The innermost power of the Priestess Arcana hath been set free...**_

"_**We bestow upon thee the power to summon Scathach, the ultimate form of the Priestess..."**_

The world turned back to normal again and he quickly put the card away, not able to keep himself from smiling.

"By the way, I think I will be alright in the cooking club now. Though I would appreciate it if you would still come." He smile at her and just for a moment, he forget all his worries, just talking and talking with a good friend of his.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Later that evening, the whole team was gathered in the lounge again, all except for Akihiko and Ken.

"It's already been a day..." Yukari mumbled, folding her hands in her lap.

"Sanada-Senpai said to leave Ken-kun alone, but I don't know... Maybe we should go look for him..." Fuuka said, her face full of worry. Mitsuru walked up to Hamuko who had only stood at the side lines during the discussion.

"What do you think?" the Senior asked and their Leader shoo her head.

"Leave him alone for now. Like Sanada-Senpai said, it's his decision if he wants to come back or not. We can't force him."

After a few minutes, Fuuka jumped to her feet again, determination written all over her face.

"I can't wait any longer! I will go now and-"

She was cut off by the door opening and closing, closely followed by Koromaru's happy yipping. They all turned around to look at Ken, standing there with not even a scratch on him. They ran up to him almost immediately, making sure that there was really everything alright with him. Fuuka fell to her knees in relief.

"Thank goodness! I was so worried." The boy blinked.

"Huh? You were?" he asked, somewhat surprised. Mitsuru walked up to him, her face blank.

"Amada... Are you able to fight?" The child swallowed, his face full of determination.

"Yes... I won't run off like that ever again." Everybody let out a sigh of relief at that, finally relaxing. Yukari smiled at him.

"Geez! Don't scare us like that, will you? We were worried sick!" Mitsuru smiled as well.

"I will talk to the chairman. Get some rest."

"Yes," Ken answered with a smile on his face as he walked up the stairs. As Minato watched him, he couldn't help but notice a shock of silver just rounding the corner to the boys' floor. Once he told the rest of the team that he was going to bed early, he walked up the steps and stopped at the second door to the left. He gave the door a soft knock.

"Senpai, it's me."

He waited for a moment before the door swung open and the boxer stood in front of him in his usual red vest and white shirt.

"Minato. Is something wrong?" The bluenette smiled at him.

"Can we talk for a moment?" Akihiko looked a little startled by that but he let the teen into his room nonetheless. The room was a little bigger than his own (probably because he was a Senior and all) but the walls were painted in the same color. There was a flat-screen tv standing right next to the bed at wall and the shelves were packed with trophies. A standing boxing bag set was hanging not very far from the entrance, together with a few of weights.

It looked a lot neater than he had expected.

Then again, everything was neater than Junpei's room.

"So," the silverette said as he closed the door. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Ken just came back."

"Is that so? That's great." There was a long silence until the Summoner sighed. So he didn't want to come out and say it. He had to just do it directly, then.

"You talked to him, didn't you?" he asked as he turned around to face his team mate. He smiled at the shocked face he saw. "It's actually pretty obvious. I don't think anyone other than you could have done it either." He felt himself blushing at what he wanted to say next. "I think you're really amazing, Senpai. You were able to bring Ken back without any trouble. I just... wanted to say that. A-Anyway, good night!" With that he quickly ran to the door, threw it open and hurried to his room, not even waiting for an answer. Once he was in his room, he slid down the door and curled up on the floor, his face a bright red.

"How can I say something that embarrassing...? It almost sounded like a love confession...!" he mumbled, almost hitting himself. In the end he really did go to bed early.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hello." Minato opened his eyes to stare at startling blue ones. Pharos was leaning over him again with a big smile on his face. "It's cold tonight, isn't it? Hard to believe it's already autumn. It will be winter before you know it!" When the Persona-User didn't answer, he tilted his head to the side. "You seem tired. Did something happen?" The bluenette sat up in his bed, trying to avoid eye contact.

"It's just... a good friend of mine almost died a few days ago."

"Oh..." the boy said, averting his eyes as well. "You know, people die in this world everyday. Until a while ago, it was like the blowing of the wind to me. But now... I see things differently. For the first time, I have a friend." He looked back to the Junior again and smiled. "By the way, I got more certain of something. Remember the Fall? It's drawing near. Can you feel it? It's weird, we are kindred spirits, you and I, and yet only I seem to remember..." He seemed sad for a moment. "It's rather heart rendering. Is my existence something you cannot accept?" he smiled sadly and Minato felt the world turning gray once again.

oxoxoxoxoxo

So. A month. That's... better?

Still not good, but I think I'm getting back to my old form again. Though UTAU, Rps, Original Stories and my temporary dog keep me a little busy.

I know I would probably would be able to write better if I would just drop some of those things, but what I need to get out needs to get out.

Also noticed I'm the most horrible Fluff writer ever.

WHERE'S THE AAAAAAAANGST?!


	42. Chapter 42: Getting Closer

The weeks before exams were HELL for Minato.

Not because he had to study, oh no, quite the contrary, actually. He had plenty of time, having already memorized all the material and it was not like he was freaking out about them, either. No, it was EVERYBODY ELSE freaking out that was the problem.

He's never really been one to crave attention, but the fact that nobody seemed to have time for him was wearing him out. Every time he tried to talk to one of them in the halls, in the dorms or wherever, they would tell him that they were busy and had to get ready for the upcoming tests. Thinking about it, he probably wouldn't have minded if there had been at least one friend he could hang out with. Hell, even Saoto was busy studying, babbling something about having to get good grades to keep his scholarship. The bluenette hadn't even known the kid had a scholarship!

Since when did everyone become so obsessed with their grades, anyway? It's never been like this before. Then again, maybe they threw themselves into their studies so they could take their mind off of Shinji for a while. Well, maybe everyone except Junpei, but that guy was really the only person the Summoner had pushed to study.

All jokes and dorm mates aside, the boy had been bored. He wasn't even able to go up and play his guitar since it would have disturbed the others and the last thing he wanted to do was to be a burden to them. It was weird, he was so used to being alone before he came here and now he was moping around because his friends had no time for him.

All in all, it had been a huge relief to him when the exam week came and went, hopefully allowing him to finally spend time with the others. Glancing over to his classmates, he wondered what they would be doing after this. Without a doubt, Junpei would go to Chidori or hang out with his friends, most likely the former. But what about the others? Maybe he could-

The door was thrown open, closely followed by a silverette entering the room. Gasps and whispers washed over the room as he walked through the room, either not noticing or ignoring all the eyes fixed on him. Minato, on the other hand, was more than aware of them and couldn't help but wish to disappear into the floor right now. The whispering grew louder when the boxer walked right up to him. They didn't usually do this. Normally, they would first go to the dorm or wait for the school to clear a bit before talking to each other, thus avoiding the peeking eyes of their school. But just going to the other's classroom? That was beyond bold, it was just stupid.

All those thoughts were thrown out of the window, though, when the boxer walked up to the bluenette, a small smile on his face.

"Uh, hey, Minato." The whispers were practically shouts now but the Emperor remained oblivious. "So, since exams are over, want to hang out again? We haven't really spend much time together lately..."

It was as if someone had dropped a bucket of cold water over the room. Silence reigned over the room as all eyes were glued to the Fool, waiting for his response. The boy wasn't exactly sure what to do in that kind of situation. Never once in his life had he been the center of attention of so many people. Sure, sometimes he did or said stuff that made his friends stare at him but his whole class was a completely different story. Gulping, he picked up his bag and pulled the older male out of the room.

As soon as they had left the school, Akihiko took the lead, becoming weirdly quiet. Not that Minato minded of course, it was just odd that the boxer didn't say anything although he was the one that asked him out.

Now, that came out wrong. Asked him to hang out. Right, that sounded a bit better.

"Uh... Sorry for calling you out all of a sudden..." Minato was sure he almost jumped out of skin. Taking a quick look around them, he saw that they were at the play ground in the Naganaki shrine. He hadn't even noticed that they had left Port Island. "I've caused quite the commotion back there, didn't I...?"

"W-What? No, what are you talking about?" So Akihiko did notice, after all. And here he thought that the Senior was too oblivious.

Judging from Akihiko's face, his lie must have been pretty obvious but the bluenette was more than grateful when he just let it go. Minato turned his eyes to the floor, watching his foot scrap the dirt beneath it. "Besides... I'm always happy to spend time with you, Senpai." He felt his cheeks burn as soon as the words left his mouth but he resisted the urge to punch himself. He might as well say stuff like that when the atmosphere was already that awkward.

"I-Is that so...? Why are you so..." Surprised, he looked back up at the boxer, not really understanding. His face looked weird, kind of like he was sad but also... pained, like something was eating away at him and he wasn't sure if he wanted to let go. After some time silver eyes moved to the ground, followed by the words, "If you don't mind, can I talk to you about something?" Minato agreed immediately, of course, for once noticing that something was wrong with his friend. "I-I haven't properly arranged it out in my head yet, though." He paused for a moment, taking a small breath as the Summoner watched him. Whatever he wanted to say must be a pretty big deal if he had so much trouble with it.

"I think I've told you a little about... Miki." Blue eyes widened and clouded over for a moment. Right. Akihiko's sister that died in a fire. Shinji once told him about the incident. "I... was all she had. There weren't any children her age at the orphanage, so she didn't have any friends. She would always follow me, calling me big bro and all..." Here he paused, biting his lip. His face was turning into that as expression again Minato didn't to do more than wipe it from his face and never let it return again.

"Why did she have to do die...?" Akihiko whispered, almost to quiet to here. His eyes narrowed, as if he was fighting back the tears. "She was so small, never knew her parents faces, never got any good food to eat, any toys... She had nothing." He was silent again, trying even harder to fight back the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. After a few moments, he opened them again, his face filled with anger.

"Isn't there a saying... that being alive is a sin in and of itself...?" His lips trembled and the Fool couldn't take it anymore. He violently shook his head, not wanting to believe what the other male was saying.

"No! No, that's not true!" Wide grey eyes stared at him but he didn't care. He didn't want to hear such words coming from him. "I don't want to hear you say something like that ever again! It's not true and it's a horrible thing to think!"

"Minato..." His eyes softened a little and he closed his eyes. "I know she's gone and I accepted that. But... sometimes, I just can't help feeling angry and sad... Like I should have done more... Like I could have protected her if only I had been stronger..." He opened his eyes again and smiled sadly. "I guess I'll just have to live like that for the rest of my life..." A few moments of silence passed before Akihiko looked up from the floor again, staring directly into Minato's eyes. "What I wanted to tell you... I think... I wanted you to help me carry this burden... I know how unfair it is to ask this of you and... I'm sorry." He wasn't really sure what to say to that. He knew how hard it must have been for Akihiko to open up to him like that, showing his vulnerable side like that, but he was honestly not sure why he did it. He could feel the trust that the older boy had in him and couldn't help but think that they might have gotten a little closer to each other.

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Emperor Arcana!"**_

"I think... I might be seeing a bit of Miki inside of you." His jaw fell in an instant, leaving him gaping like a fish out of water. He didn't know if Akihiko noticed since he let out a dry chuckle. "I know it sounds weird with you being a guy and all but... if that's not the case... then..." He was quiet again for a few moments before looking at the younger teen, his face weirdly neutral. "Let's just go back now, okay?" Minato followed without a word.

"And so you came here, not really sure what to do and wanting to talk about your love troubles?" Now that Saoto said it out loud, it did sound like an incredibly stupid idea. The younger Summoner shifted on the bench and crossed his arms. "You do realise that we're younger than you? We can hardly help with stuff like this. Right, Souji?"

The silverette almost jumped off his seat, awkwardly shifting at the red eyes fixed on him. The boy had been weirdly silent for a while now, making Minato wonder what was wrong with him. Were it his parents again? Thinking back on it, they never actually sorted out all the pressure his parents put on him. Were they pushing him to study again? His eyes clouded over as he thought about it. No matter how good it would be for their future, no one should push their children to do something they absolutely didn't want to.

While all those thoughts ran through his mind, the teen had turned his eyes to the floor, a small blush painting his cheekbones a light pink.

"I... Uh..." he stuttered, not really sure how he wanted to say it. "I'm just... a little surprised to find out you're gay, Senpai."

It was as if someone had dumped a large bucket of cold water over them. Saoto's eyes widened to an almost abnormal size while all the color drained from the Juniors face. Right, they never told Souji about his... feelings toward Akihiko. He just kind of assumed he was okay with it and went to meet them without really thinking about it. Glancing at the Summoner beside him, he could see similar thoughts running through his friends head. What if he didn't approve? He was a nice enough guy, but what if his parents taught him that those kind of relationships were wrong? Not only would it be a huge problem, but what would it do to their friendship? He wouldn't want to have anything to do with him anymore and by extension Saoto since the kid was okay with that kind of stuff.

An awkward silence settled onto them, none of the boys knowing what to say. A few minutes passed before the silverette glanced at his friends only to find their faces in different degrees of horror and/or panic. An even bigger blush spread over the teens face as he finally grasped the impact of his words.

"N-No! Don't get me wrong!" he stuttered, his arms comically flailing around. "I don't have anything against it, it just... surprised me! That's all! W-With so many girls trying to get Minato-Senpai's attention, I just kind of thought..." Only getting blank stares in return, the boy let his voice drift off, not really sure what else to say. A few moments passed before the other two boys broke out into a gigantic fit of laughter, not able to hold it in for much longer. "What... what?"

"N-No, just..." Minato wheezed, being the first one to calm down somewhat, "Just don't do this ever again. We were seriously fearing the worst!" It took some time for Saoto to catch his breath but when he did, the trio broke out into soft chuckles again.

"A-Anyway, back on topic. This was about your love trouble?" the brunette asked, tears coming to his eyes from all the laughter. The mood fell for a bit as the Junior gave a small nod. "Well, I don't really see what the problem is. Just what is it that's causing you trouble?"

"I- He- It's- confusing me, alright?" the teen stuttered as he ran his hand through his hair. "First I thought he only wanted to be friends but then he gets all close to me, so I think he might have romantic feelings too but then he's all distant again, then he says that I'm like his younger sibling but then he gets all mushy again and-" Pausing, he took a deep breath before letting his chin fall to his chest. "I just don't know how he feels about me anymore."

"You fucking kidding me?" As soon as those words were uttered, two pairs of eyes snapped to the brunette, wide as plates. With a raised eyebrow, Saoto said, "Hey, it's pretty obvious. I don't understand why you are thinking so much about it."

"What?"

"You really are hopeless, aren't you? Of course he likes you!" It took a good minute for the other teens to register the words but when they did, they're eyes grew even wider if that was even possible.

"He does?", they said in unison, making the youngest to want to face palm.

"Yes! _Obviously,_ he does! I mean, the unnecessary touching, the extra attention, the time he wants to spend with you; he_ likes _you! Do I have to spell it out for you? **He likes you!**" The boy opened his eyes again, noticing that he had gotten to his feet during his rant. Slightly flustered, the boy stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked off to the sky. "Well, at least that's how I see it. As it is, he doesn't really seem to realize it either. So you just have to be patient. He will come around eventually." He quickly glanced at his friends, seeing them relaxing before finally relaxing himself. "Geez, just how dense are you?"

"I know, right? We'll probably be doomed without your advices once you move."

They all froze as soon as those words carelessly fell from Minato's mouth. The younger teens stared at him, Souji in a mix of confusion and surprise while Saoto with shock and betrayal. The silverette just kept moving his eyes from his friends before he dared to open his mouth.

"What did he mean with that? You're going to move?"

Only silence was his response as the other two averted their gazes, not able to meet his eyes. A few minutes passed before he got to his feet, starting to walk away.

"Sorry, I... I need to go now." And with that he walked down the steps or the shrine, leaving the Summoners alone. In a matter of seconds, Saoto walked up to his the older teen, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him to his feet.

"What did I tell you about not telling him about that?!" he shouted, his face red in anger.

"I-I'm sorry! It just kind of slipped out! I didn't mean to..." Trailing off after that, he was at a loss of words as he watched the emotions race across his friends face. It was obvious he was mad but there was also hurt and maybe sadness mixed in. After a few moments, the boy let him go, taking a deep breath.

"No, just... I need some time alone. I better get inside now." Before the bluenette could say anything, the brunette had already vanished into the shrine. Not really sure what else to do, the Junior left for the dorm, hoping that he had not just destroyed the friendship he had.

"Hey, I've been thinking... Does Fuuka seem... different to you lately?" All eyes turned to Junpei who was trailing at the back of the group. Having been searching for someone lost in Tartarus just a few seconds ago, the question seemed completely out of the blue, not to mention out of place.

"Well, I think her best told her she would be moving soon, so go figure," Yukari said with a roll of her eyes. Junpei still didn't seem satisfied with that answer.

"But she's not acting down at all! It's more like she-"

"_Is something matter? You've been stationary for a while now,"_ Fuuka's voice echoed through their psychic link, making them freeze for a moment. Aigis, being her usual blunt, robotic self, immediately spoke up, no matter how uncomfortable her companions felt.

"We are quite alright. It is merely that Junpei-san felt the need to share his thoughts about-"

"W-We're fine, Fuuka!" Minato said before the robot said anything else. "We were just wondering who we were searching for again."

"_Is that so? Well, the person is Yuko Nishiwaki, second year of our high school. She's the sports manager of the tracks club and is friends with Hamuko-chan. She has dark hair, brown eyes..."_

"Thank you Fuuka, this is just what we wanted to know." The girl giggled for a moment before speaking again.

"_Just go ahead and ask if you want to know something. __She should be somewhere on this floor, so please do your best. __I will come back as soon as there are news from the other team.__"_ The connection broke after that, bringing silence over the group again. A few moments passed before the Magician gave the others a 'I-told-you-so' look before Yukari turned away, annoyed.

"Stuff it, Stupei. So she's been more confident lately, big deal."

"But her Persona changed, too!"

"It seems to be of similar circumstances as the changes that had occurred with Akihiko-san and Ken-san," Aigis said, as neutral as usual. "It seems once one has endured enough hardships and is able to rise again, their growth as a person is reflected in their Personas."

"Anyway," Minato cut in before the conversation got out of hand. "We should probably get going now. You know, searching for Nishiwaki-san?" The rest of the small group agreed, getting moving again soon after. Even if it had been months since the first time they had visited this place, Tartarus' halls were still emitting an ominous light, making him extremely uncomfortable. Just as they were searching through a chain of corridors, Fuuka accessed her minds again, her voice frantic.

"_Guys, be careful! I sense Death!"_

"What, already?!" The team searched everything around, trying to spot an access point or the stairs. Even if they had grown stronger since their last encounter with the Reaper, all of them knew they were nowhere ready to face him again.

"_Minato."_ The boy immediately peeked up at the voice of his sister. _"__It can't be helped, we'll have to try again another time. __I want you to get everybody out of there as soon as possible, __Fuuka will give you an escape route__. __We'll meet you at the lobby." _His eyes widened a little at that, making him take a double take.

"Wait, but if the Reaper is here, what about Nishiwaki-san? Won't he get her, too?" When only silence greeted him, he couldn't help but click his tongue. "We can't just leave her here. We can at least fight him to buy some time but considering what happened to the other victims, she won't even be able to run! Please, we'll come as soon as we find her." Again, only silence was his response for a few seconds.

"_Finish searching that corridor. Whether you find her or not, I want you to get out of there as soon as possible. You won't be able to save her if you're dead." _He let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding, nodding. When he realized that she couldn't see him, he spoke up again.

"Thanks. We'll hurry." He looked at his friends who nodded in agreement, making their way down the corridor soon after that. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take them long the clattering chains in the distance, momentarily causing panic in the group. "W-We're almost finished and then we can get out of here." Even if he said that, he felt doubt creeping on him, too. Maybe it was because the Reaper had almost killed him a few times, but it was like he couldn't fight it. Just... couldn't. He would totally freeze up, like his body just refused to do anything.

A groan in the distance caught his attention, making him stop his pondering. He threw a quick look at Junpei, who was at the front of the group. The Magician nodded at him and charged forward, aware that the chains were closing in on them. Fortunately, it didn't take them long to reach the end of the hall, a grand room with pillar supporting the ceiling. A form lied in the middle of the room, letting out another chain of groans and moans.

"Nishiwaki-san!" Yukari cried as she ran towards her friend, making sure the girl wasn't hurt. The others stood around her, keeping their eyes and ears open in case the Reaper appeared. A few minutes passed before the Archer gave the okay to move her, which the team took as a sign to finally retreat.

"_Okay, the Reaper is coming down the same floor as you. there's another hidden passage on the other side of the room, so use that one. Just follow the corridor and you'll find an Access point you can use."_ They did as told, quickly making their way down the halls, Junpei carrying Yuko. Sure, it lowered their attack power noticeably, but none of the others were strong enough to carry her. Well, Aigis was but Minato wasn't sure if she could handle the unconscious girl gently.

Just as they were able to see the Access Point, chain rattling could be heard behind them, sending a shiver down his spine. The bluenette looked over his shoulder, catching sign of the trademark coat and those long, deadly gun barrels. With a moments hesitation, the teen stopped in his tracks, turning around to face the monster.

"Minato-kun, just what-"

"You go ahead!" he shouted at his friends before Yukari could finish. Before they could object, he was talking again. "Look, someone needs to hold him off and I'm way faster than you. I'll catch up with you." They threw worried glances at each other before taking down the corridor again, leaving him alone to hold off the Reaper. The boy gulped, staring down the hall, readying his Evoker. It wouldn't take long until the others reached the entrance hall so it was only a matter of seconds. Then he could run. He didn't have to fight.

Yeah sure as if that would ever happen.

As soon as the Reaper entered his attack range, he put his Evoker to his temple, pulling the trigger and throwing a huge flame at the thing. It wasn't enough to knock it down but at least it would stay at a distance for a while. As soon as the Reaper recovered, he moved to shoot his own guns but Minato was faster, sending Orpheus at him. Even if the Persona wasn't all that physically strong he held up pretty well, bot letting himself be overpowered by the Shadow.

"_Minato-kun, the others have reached the ground floor safely. Please head there now, too!"_

"Got it." Without waiting the boy summoned Orpheus back, making a run for the Access Point. Fortunately, the Reaper was still too stunned to react immediately, giving him enough time to reach the machine and jump through it without a problem. As soon as the green light disappeared from his vision, he was pulled into a spine-crushing hug but he quickly relaxed when he recognized the red hair and wrapped his arms around the other person's small frame.

"Never ever do that again, you get that?" Hamuko muttered into his shoulder, making it almost impossible to see her face. "That was stupid, reckless, arrogant, naïve, dangerous... Have I mentioned stupid? Cause it really was." Minato let out a little laugh, not really sure how to react to his twins fussing.

"I wouldn't know what to do if you were gone..."

He froze for a moment, taking the words in. They were spoken quietly, probably not meant for him to hear, but what did she mean with that?

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Sun Arcana!"**_

After their teammates had (quite awkwardly) reminded them that the Dark Hour would be ending soon, SEES made their way back to the dorm. The whole walk, Minato couldn't help but glancing at his sister from time to time.

"Let me guess: Full Moon in a week?"

"Bingo! I see you've gotten used to it by now." Minato smiled as Pharos sat down on his bed, as chipper as ever. "At last, you will be facing the 12th, won't you? Just how much time has already passed since you first arrived?" Without really waiting for an answer, the child got back to his feet, still smiling. "However, it's still a little early to be reminiscing, right? How about I visit you once it's all over?" With a last smile, the boy disappeared into thin air, sleep finally getting a hold on the Persona-User.

**11/2/2009 – In the Lobby of the Dorm**

It was the day before the operation and the team had decided to have a small meeting. As Minato looked around the group, he was surprised to find none of them looked nervous. No, it was more like that they seemed at ease with themselves.

"So, tomorrow will be our last operation," Fuuka said with a smile. Yukari nodded.

"We've sure been through a lot these last six months. Though I have to say, it did have its fun moments, too."

"Yeah, like the thing with the lover! Remember?" Hamuko exclaimed, much to the dire of everyone involved. Ken, Aigis and Koromaru only stared at them, confused. Fortunately, they seemed to decide to let the topic rest for now.

"Sure, it hurt sometimes but it was a hell lot better than doing nothing, right?" Junpei said, grinning from ear to ear. Ken let out a small chuckle, grinning a little himself.

"You're right. Plus, we made new friends."

"Yeah, it was all worth it, if you asked me." Akihiko's eyes wandered to Minato for a moment, making their eyes meet for a split second. Before he could say anything about I, however, the boxer started talking again. "It's been two and half years now since I got this power... You don't hear me complaining, do you?"

"That sure is a long time..." Minato mumbled, looked his friends over again, eyes finally landing on Aigis. "But for you it must have been a lot longer, right, Aigis?"

"I was activated for a vast majority of the time, so I have been barely in operation until now."

"And you, Kirijou-Senpai? You started even before Sanada-Senpai came along, right?" All heads turned to Mitsuru the moment Hamuko uttered the question. The red head seemed a little surprised but started talking soon enough.

"...Me? Yes, it was just me at first. Of course, back then SEES didn't exist, and this was just a regular dorm." Yukari's face turned confused for amoment.

"Huh? Did the chairman recruit you?"

Her face darkened for a moment before she spoke. "No... Having been aware of the Dark Hour since I was a child, I once accompanied my father to an exploration of Tartarus. When we were attacked by Shadows, I awakened to my Persona. It seems I was the first." She was silent again before talking again. "...If none of that would have happened, perhaps none of you would have to bear this terrible burden."

"Come on, Senpai. Someone was bound to awaken after time. It's not your fault for being the first! After all, someone has to do the job, right?" Hamuko seemed happy enough but just for a split moment, her expression faltered, looking over to her brother. Was there something she wasn't telling them?

"_**I am Thou...And Thou art I...**_

_**Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Fool Arcana!"**_

They all returned to their rooms soon after that, wanting to be ready for the next days events. After making sure that he had everything he needed for the fight, Minato got ready for, let his body fall to mattress and his slip closed.

_**A familiar tower...**_

_**Menacing laughter...**_

_**Gunshots...**_

_**Blood...**_

_**And the moon, laughing at them from above...**_

Alright, I'm really sorry that this took so long. I don't even have an excuse this time, only that I kind of grew out of Fanfiction I suppose. But I will finish this story, even if it means the death to me.

Okay, maybe no but I will finish this as soon as I can.

And sorry if it seems a little rushed in the end. There's just not much to do anymore with most of the Social Links I planned done and training kind of falling second place now. I think this take another five to ten chapters to get done, if I stretch it.

Most of you probably know what will happen next and I think I will pull it all into the next chapter. So look forward to that. I might have to sit down and play the game again to get the feeling back, though.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Shadow.


	43. Chapter 43: Not quite the End

Minato woke up with a bit of a headache, much to his confusion. For some reason, his mind felt fuzzy, making him wonder if it was something he ate the night before.

"What the..." He said, looking down at himself only to realize that his sheets completely dangled up. "What did I dream about...?" Still, it rather unusual for him to toss so much while he slept. Was it something important...?

Shaking his head, the boy got out of his bed and ready for school. The Full Moon operation was today and he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by stuff he has been dreaming. Surely if it was anything important, he would remember it given enough time.

Later that night, the whole team was gathered in the command room, waiting as Fuuka scanned the area with Juno. A few moments passed before the girl spoke.

"The twelfth and final Shadow is currently at the south end of the Moonlight bridge. And as expected, Strega is already waiting for us." Mitsuru's expression darkened a little.

"They know it is their last chance. We have to be careful in case they decide to do something rash."

"At least we don't have to look for them now. We can end all of this once and for all," Akihiko said with a confident expression on his face. Ken nodded beside him. Hamuko took a quick look around the team, taking in the determination they were all feeling. With a quick flip of her sheeted sword, the girl rose to her feet and moved so they could all see her.

"Everybody ready? Then let's go." SEES raised to their feet as well, each of them grabbing their weapons and marching out of the dorm, resolve pretty much written on their faces. Luckily, the Moonlight Bridge wasn't far from them and they had reached it withing minutes. One the other hand, they had to cross the bridge first before reaching the south end, which proved to be unfortunate considering who they met right after they arrived.

The two remaining Persona-Users, Takaya and Jin, were waiting for them, weapons ready and without even waiting for the reaction of the team the blond spoke up.

"You realise the significance of today, do you not?" Instead of answering, Hamuko just stared him dead in the eye, face as stoic as can be. "You claim you hunt the Shadows to prevent the disaster they bring yet countless lives are lost without their intervention." The twin's face darkened for a moment before turning blank again. "The power we wield is not itself evil... You cannot deny that. So why don't you just admit it? You do not wish to eliminate the Dark Hour... For erasing the Dark Hour is erasing yourselves."

"It's not," the red-headed girl finally said, her face remaining blank. "They Dark Hour doesn't define who we are, it only shows other sides of us. And although people die everyday, we can't just stand by and watch. Not if we can do something about it." Hearing that, Takaya visibly clicked his tongue and Minato took the time to actually look at his sister for once. She was... different. Still their leader, sure, but there was something else there. Like she was remembering something hurtful and ready to close the chapter and never look back at it again. He would have asked what it was but it was kind of the wrong place for something like that so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Forget these maggots, Takaya. They won't understand our goal anyway," Jin intervened, taking a step closer to his partner. The taller male chuckled, spreading his arms as if to welcome them.

"Very well. We shall let fate decide who shall prevail... Come." Without waiting for the team to respond, Takaya had already summoned his Persona, giving them no time to dodge the gale he was throwing at them. Quick to react, each SEES member took out their Evoker, sending their Personae out to return the attack with everything they had. Sparks and Ice flew around them, making it almost impossible to make out the movements of battle if it weren't for Fuuka keeping them up to date with everything Strega did. Eventually Hamuko swung her sword after Takaya, forcing him to dodge by stepping back and right in front of her twin.

Adrenalin rushed through the boys body as he slashed at man, latter barely avoiding on of the blades. He brought up his second blade to strike but just before he made contact he flipped the blade, hitting Takaya with only the flat side.

"What are you doing, Minato?!" he heard his sister shout but he only shook his head. No, they couldn't kill them, not yet. They needed information on how they got their Evokers, their Personae and why they went berserk from time to time. If they just ended them here, they would never get the answers they needed. He put his kunais away, eliciting small chuckle from the blond in front of him.

"My, going easy on this poor human, are you? Well, I suppose someone like you would decide things such as that." The bluenet shook his head, getting into a kickboxing position.

"You don't know anything about me." With that he took a quick sprint to the man, punching straight for his face which he merely dodged, the boy ducked, hitting him right into his stomach. Taking a step back again to strike again, he gave him another kick in the knee, rendering him momentarily stunned. But before he knew it, a humanoid figure appeared above them, its spine replaced by red veins springing from its back, leading up to gigantic black wings. A horrible scream echoed over the whole bridge, being the only warning for Minato before a huge gale knocked him off his feet, throwing him to the ground with a loud thud.

"_Minato-kun, are you alright?! Please get up!"_

"I'm fine, don't worry about me!" The Fool got back to his feet just in time to see Akihiko punch Takaya against the bridge railing. At just the same moment, the others finished off the other Strega member, throwing him right beside the other man. Both just panted for a while before getting back on their feet to glare at the team.

"Damn it..." Jin muttered, holding onto his side. His eyes didn't lose any of their hate reflected in them. "How come their power is so different from ours...?"

Mitsuru stepped forward, her interest perked. "Different...?"

"You don't know? We can't just summon our Personas, they have to be forced out! Didn't that friend of your tell you?!" The glassed male's face turned into and equally frustrated and mad expression, his mouth opening to shout some more at them. "Once the Dark Hour disappears, normal people won't notice the difference but you have _no idea _what it means to us! Without it, we're-"

"Jin, enough." His mouth instantly snapped shut as Takaya finally stood up straight. "Now, then... Ordinary we'd withdraw, but not tonight. This body, as ephemeral as it is... It is worthless without my power. Therefore, only one choice remains..." He raised his gun to his temple, just like the members of SEES did so often but everybody knew what it meant. "I shall prove my existence here and now!" Paralyzed by shock, none of them was able to move. None but Jin who quickly jumped to his partner's side and pulled the hand holding the gun away from him.

"Don't be so reckless!" he shouted, already pulling the other male back against the railings of the bridge. "I'm sorry, but those are only your words." He turned back the group, his eyes still filled with anger. "Your win... Looks like you get your wish... Just do what you came to do. Cause this is the way we live!" Before anyone could stop them, Jin had leaned back, pulling Takaya with him over the edge. Minato ran up to them instantly but could only watch as their bodies hit the surface, disappearing in the waves of blood.

"I can't believe this... They just... jumped..." He felt a hand on his shoulder which gently pulled him away from the railing, turning him around to look at silver eyes.

"They made their choice. Don't let it bother you. Alright?" He hesitated for a moment before nodding, agreeing with Akihiko. They couldn't let this bother them too much, not when their final foe was waiting for them. They turned back to the rest of their team, where Mitsuru was already briefing them on what they knew. They were moving soon afterward, their weapons at the ready and Evokers drawn. It didn't take long for them to reach the huge hovering figure, hanging from a cross at the end of the bridge. The mask covering its face hung upside down, the whole body being levitated by hat seemed to be a circle made out of wings.

"It's not moving, but it's out of your attack range! I think you will need to destroy the figurines to get it down! They seem to be directly linked to its health."

"Got it!" Hamuko shouted, directing her orders at the rest of the team. "Sanada, Junpei, Aigis! Hit them with everything you got! Kirijo, Ken! Alternate between attacking and supporting! Do whatever you see fit! Minato, Yukari! You stand back and support! Minato, concentrate on attacking! Koro and I will attack when we see an opening! Everybody got it? Then let's finish this!" A chorus of agreement echoed from the team which quickly getting to work. In a matter of seconds they had defeated the statues, the Hanged Man falling down with an agonized cry.

"Hamuko! Now's our chance!" Minato shouted. His twin nodded and seconds later the whole team was charging at the enemy. When they were, done, it stayed on the ground for a while, letting out a pained growl. Their victory was short, though, as the Shadow raised itself onto its knees and slammed its hands onto the concrete beneath them. The closest to it tripped and fell to ground while the others merely stumbled. The Fool narrowed his eyes, raised his Evoker to his temple and summoned Orpheus. "Mediarama!" The damage was healed before it was done and soon enough the team was attacking again. It took quite a while for them to finish it but after a while they were finally done, the Shadow disappearing into dark mist.

A collective silence fell over them until finally, Junpei broke it. "...So, it's over?"

"Operation complete. Or rather, 'Mission accomplished,'" Aigis added, her voice as neutral as ever. Mitsuru nodded, a soft smile on her lips.

"Yes... After all this time, it's finally over."

"Hey! Shouldn't we celebrate?" Hamuko shouted unusually hyper. She walked up to the Student council president and threw her arms around her shoulder, lying her chin on top of her shoulder. "Senpai! How about a party tomorrow?" Junpei's face visibly brightened up at that, his feet carrying him up to their red-headed upperclassman.

"Yeah! How 'bout sushi?"

"You don't waste a second, do you? Very well, I will have the very best delivered tomorrow," Mitsuru said with a slight chuckle in her voice, obviously amused. The rest of the team immediately perked up at her words and idly came up to her with a weird shine in their eyes.

"I've got dibs on the halibut and sea urchin!"

"I call the fatty tuna!"

"We're divvying it up already? In that case, save me the salmon roe."

"Put extra Wasabi on mine!" was thrown into the tussle by Minato, earning some rather disturbed expressions from his friends. A few moments passed before they all shared a hearty laugh and looked back at the sky, the familiar green moon shining back at them for the last time.

"Time to say good-bye to the Dark Hour," Hamuko said in an unusually soft voice. All of SEES nodded in response while the bluenet threw a look across the group until they finally llanded on a pair of grey eyes smiling back at him.

After ten years of pain, agony and loneliness... It was finally over.

But somehow this didn't feel like the end.

* * *

"Good morning." Minato groggily opened his eyes, moving his head to the person daring to wake him up so early. Pharos only smiled at his glare and hopped off the bed before turning back to face his friend. "Nice weather, isn't it? Surely the start of a new day." His gaze was turned to the window before back at the Summoner. "All the fragments of my memory...they've finally come together. I now know my role clearly. The time has come. As difficult as it may be, I must tell you something..."

A sad expression took over his face and the taller male sat up in his bed, staring at the child with wide eyes. This couldn't be...?

"I'm afraid this is good-bye," he finally said, voicing the thoughts he had feared for so long. "I want you to know that for me, our friendship was a miracle. But miracles don't last forever. If only they did..." He sighed for a moment before carrying on. "I shall treasure our conversations. Even if today is the end, I won't forget the time we spent together. Well, it was fun while it lasted!" Pharos took a few steps back from him and Minato could only watch in frustration as he moved. "...Farewell."

And then he just disappeared as he always did, only this time the Persona-user knew it was for good. He looked down at his sheets clenched in his fists and slowly relaxed, letting the world around him turn grey again and the universe whisper to him how he had gained new power and how the bond cannot be broken but he didn't care about that.

"I won't forget about you either, Pharos," he whispered, clenching his fist once again before getting out of bed. He had to get ready to school or Mitsuru would scold him.

As he got down the stairs after getting back to the dorm, Minato could already hear the whistles and cries of awe at the food which he could only chuckle at. A few seconds later he had joined them just as Yukari turned around in her seat, her eyes glowing in wonder.

"Minato-kun, look at those slices! They're huge!" The boy looked over her shoulder and gaped a little himself. While he had eaten a lot of sushi in his life, this was also his first time seeing it being so gigantic. Instead of thinking too much about it in fear he would dive into the food, he took a look around the group, noting that some were missing.

"Hey, where are Aigis and Ikutsuki-san?"

"He took her to the lab for a tune-up or something. He said they'll join us later," Akihiko answered without hesitation and with a small smirk on his face. Fuuka chuckled a little while shifting in her seat a bit.

"The Chairman just can't stay away from the lab, can he?" She padded the seat beside her which the Summoner gladly took, earning a nasty look from Yukari as he did. Before the girl could say anything about it, the door bell rang, turning all eyes towards the entrance.

"That must be my father," Mitsuru said before getting up and opening the door. The bodyguards were the first to enter, shortly followed by none other than Takeharu Kirijou, still with the same stoic expression on his face. "We've been waiting for you." The red-heads voice was stiff in strained coldness but her father dismissed it with a wave of his hand, easing the tension almost immediately.

"It is finally over." He looked across the teens for a moment, gazing at each of them for a few seconds before speaking again. "Congratulations, everyone. You've done well. There are no words to express my gratitude. Though you will never receive the recognition you deserve, it is undoubtedly a monumental achievement." He moved towards Yukari, gently taking one of her hands into his. "I owe special thanks to you, Miss Takeba. For lending us your power until the very end, despite how much pain it must have caused you."

"N-No, it's no big deal..." she mumbled in return, her cheeks slightly red. The man only nodded in understanding and turned back towards the whole group.

"The twelve Shadows that were the cause of all our troubles have been destroyed, thanks to your efforts. You needn't bear this burden any longer; you deserve a chance to experience the joys of youth." He took a deep breath before continuing. "The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad will be disbanded at midnight tonight." Minato didn't have to look at the others inside the room to know that their eyes had widened just as much as his did. "No longer must you put your lives on the line in battle. Tomorrow, you can triumphantly return to a normal school life."

Despite how happy the news should have been, uncertain looks turned around the room, a pair of blue eyes being one of them. They should have expected it since the sole purpose of SEES was to fight the Shadows and with the Dark Hour gone, they didn't have a reason to stay together anymore. But for some reason, it didn't sell well for any of them, earning them confused looks from the Chairman of the Kirijou Group.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, clearly not seeing why the teens were so unsettled. Instead of answering his question, Mitsuru steppe forward and changed the topic.

"...Very well, it's time to celebrate. Eat as much as you like, there is enough for all of you." Junpei let out a yowl of joy and sprinted up to the table, closely followed by the others. Minato stopped for a moment as the world turned grey again, telling him how he had once again gained power before he, too, joined the meal.

Hours seemed to pass in a flash as they ate and laughed together, the group simply having fun and celebrating their success. After some time Junpei looked around the rest of them who had put their plates down.

"H-Hey, why aren't you eating? Don't tell me you are already full!"

"Are you kidding me? I'm stuffed!" Yukari retorted, already starting their next round of bickering. Ignoring their antics, Minato turned to the silveret beside him who had also put his plate aside.

"Are you full, too, Senpai?" The boxer simply shrugged with a small smile as he eyed the wasabi drenched piece of maki the other was holding.

"Well, there's only so much sushi I can eat at once..." He looked down at his wristwatch, softly mumbling, "It's almost midnight..." The boy hummed for a moment as he grabbed for another piece of sushi.

"Aigis and the chairman are not here, huh. I wonder what they are up to." Everyone was silent as they waited like they had done so many nights before, only the ticking of the clock audible. There should be nothing to wait for but for some reason they did, even the eating stopic when the hands finally struck.

It came instantly just like it always had; electricity turning off, all sound disappearing, the only source of light the shining green moon outside. Koromaru started barking the moment Ken jumped to his feet and ran to the window, Mitsuru joining them again from where she had stood before.

"Senpai, what's going on?!" Junpei shouted in confusion. Sadly, it didn't look like the upperclassmen had the answers like she usually had.

"I don't know," she simply said with a shaky voice.

"We defeated the Shadows... It should have been over..." a voice whispered, coming from none other than his twin. The boy quickly walked up to her and placed hi hand on her shaking shoulder on which she placed her own.

"I had my doubts... Something just didn't feel right when we defeated it." Ken had returned, his face even more glum than it usually was. Before anyone could say anything, loud bells ehoed from outside, once again bringing them all to silence.

"W-Where are those coming from..?" Minato felt his throat getting dry, fear coursing through his body for a moment. "Could it be... the school? There isn't any other place I can think of." All of a sudden Mr. Kirijou jumped to his feet, turning to talk to his daughter.

"Where's Ikutsuki?! He has Aigis with him as well, right?!" A few moments passed in which the red head was silent before she turned to the team to speak.

"Everyone! Prepare for battle! We are heading for Tartarus!" Though there were unspoken thoughts going around the group, they still nodded, each heading for their room to get their battle gear. Along the way Minato felt something brush against his arm, Hamuko standing right beside him with concern written on her face.

"It's going to be okay." He wasn't sure if it was to reassure him or herself.

After a short while they arrived at the gate of Tartarus, two figures waiting for them. The blood in his veins grew cold when they grew clearer as the man's grin grew wider.

"You..." Hamuko growled as she shifted into a battle stance. Her red eyes seemed to glow with anger. Ikutsuki only chuckled.

"I see you came," he noted with his ever pleasant smile. The red-head's anger only seemed to grow even more but before she could unsheathe her sword Mitsuru blocked her view though her didn't lack in intensity.

"Chairman. You said defeating the twelve Shadows would put an end to the Dark Hour as well as the Apathy Syndrome. Was that all a lie?"

"My, as sharp as ever, Mitsuru." A few of them gasped. "Indeed, I never intended for you to erase the Dark Hour. Quite the opposite actually." Suddenly his face seemed to twist until his smile turned sinister, arms spread wide at his side. "The Dark Hour was only the start. The Twelve Shadows were the harbinger for the Prince who shall bring upon the Fall. The Fall of everything!"

"The Fall... of everything?" Something stirred deep inside Minato and the teen felt sickness overcome him. The boy stared at his hands, vision starting to blur. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"I have a question," Yukari asked as she boldly stepped forward. Her fingers tightened around the Evoker in her hand. "The video of my father. He said we should destroy the Twelve Shadows."

For a moment it seemed like Ikutsuki's expression would change, a small twitch in the corner of his eyes and his smile seeming just a bit more plastic but it remained just as it was. "Ah yes. Your father was a brilliant scientist but horribly misguided so changes had to be made."

"You doctored it!"

"I _corrected_ it," the man spoke in response to Hamuko's snarl, his voice like a father who was belittling a child. "I must say, you have played an excellent part. You have exceeded even my expectations, Arisato. Truly magnificient." Something suspiciously sounding a growl escaped their redhead. Her eyes glaring at the chairman, she finally unsheathed her sword.

"Why are we even listening to him?! Aigis!" The android didn't even stir. Ikutsuki chuckled.

"I'm sorry but Aigis is now the weapon she was intended to be." There was a series of gasp amidst them but Minato simply stared at their friend. _No. If he ha__s__ Aigis then..._

"Well, I think we have chatted enough. Now it is time for you to be made ready. You should be honored to be sacrificed for the Prince. Aigis!" The sound of gears turning resounded through the silent school ground, he blond jolted, mechanic blue eyes focusing on the group of teenagers in front of them.

"...Understood." The girl jumped and everything turned black.

* * *

"_...You know, your father was an unlucky man. Even you, his son, after all this time do not understand his vision."_

"_My father was wrong. Death as deliverance...that is not an ideology that anyone should ever embrace!"_

"_Aigis! Don't!"_

"_I have waited too long...! I am not like your father...! I don't make exceptions!"_

"_**Father!"**_

Gunshots rang through the air, drowsy blue eyes snapping open as a body below slowly fell to the ground. Something around his wrists moved – shackles? - and he was falling. He heard voices calling, footsteps, but they didn't matter. Uncertain feet landed on the floor and stumbled forward towards that body he had seen move not long ago. He heard screams again and looked up, just in time to see another person falling, falling and falling out of his sight.

Mitsuru kneeled down beside the man while the rest of the team gathered around them. Silently they watched as the woman – no, girl – gently raised her father's head into her lap, looking down at his closed eyes as if he were sleeping.

"One time, my father promised he would atone for endangering our generation..." Her voice was quiet, soft, fragile like none of them have heard it before. Slowly she bit her lip and spoke again with a small quiver, "B-But... I wanted him to live...! I became a persona user just so...!"

No one said anything, just the quiet sobs of their leader echoing through the green tinted night. Minato just continued to stare at the body lying in front of him, eyes unblinking, waiting, anticipating that gut churning feeling to come.

It never did.

* * *

HELL FUCKING YES IT ONLY TOOK LIKE A FUCKING YEAR

Seriously though, once again, I am deeply sorry. Life has hit me hard lately added to the fact graduation is steadily approaching but I will finish this story. More information on my profile but I plan to stop writing long-winded fanfiction after this one is finished. With that said, let's make the rest of this ride one we will not regret, shall we?


End file.
